Nourishing Connections™

"Obesity" Expert Calls for Nationwide Effort to Diet

Xavier Pi-Sunyer claims that not gaining any weight at all between the ages of 20 and 60 is optimal, and that most Americans gain 2 pounds per year.

Glenn Gaesser, author of Big Fat Lies, and an expert who regularly analyzes "obesity" research refutes these claims:

"First of all, the statement that most Americans gain 2 pounds per year between the ages of 20 and 60 is ludicrous. Most 60-year-olds are not 80 pounds heavier than they were at age 20. That translates to about 10-14 BMI units, depending upon height. NHANES data indicate that the average BMI difference between 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds is less than half that (~3-5 BMI units at most).

 

Most epidemiological studies indicate that modest weight gain (typically less than ~20 pounds or so) during adult years poses little if any risk, and some studies show that it actually is better than staying thin. Even the large life insurance studies showed this...optimal weights appeared to creep upwards with age (e.g., lowest risk for 60-year-olds was a BMI of about 26-28). So Pi-Sunyer's comment is not supported by the bulk of published evidence."

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Last modified: 09/06/04