Our Absurd Fear of Fat

[HiPointDem]

50. Height-weight charts aren't used much anymore in clinical practice. Also, Campos doesn't say

what you claim he did, nor did he give out any medical advice.

"we don’t know whether the small increase in mortality risk observed among very obese people is caused by their weight or by any number of other factors, including lower socioeconomic status, dieting and the weight cycling that accompanies it, social discrimination and stigma, or stress."

1. Very overweight people (BMI >35) have a slightly increased mortality risk.
2. We don't know if the increased mortality is caused by weight or other factors

(I'd editorialize & say we don't know the extent to which various factors play in, as e.g. being overweight is associated with lower SES, itself independently associated with poor health, & both weight & low income are stigmatized).

Low BMI & high % fat-free mass is associated with increased mortality, BTW. Being 'cut' is not healthy -- according to the science.

Weight loss may make someone feel better for lots of reasons. Some may have measurable physical correlates linked to mortality risk, e.g. blood pressure, blood sugar.

Others may simply = psychological effect of better self image as measured against prevailing social norms.