Your BMI can affect how long you live
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According to a study done by the World Health Organization http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/n/nap13089/references.rl1/#references.r347 obesity, mainly a BMI greater than 30 has been shown to decrease life expectancy by up to 21 years :crazy2:. :cry2:.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2FS0140-6736(09)60318-4
New England Journal of Medicine
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM195306042482304 -
The one chart is really interesting, it seems to indicate (if I'm reading it correctly) that the death rate goes up for people below a BMI of about 22.5.
A BMI of 20-25 is considered to be "normal weight".
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You should re-read it. Normal weight is a BMI between 18.50 - 24.99 and mortality doesn't nearly as quickly at super skinny end as it does at the obese end. Mortality increasing exponentially per 5 point increase in BMI, which results in an average 21 year reduction in lifespan for class III obesity.