A new study examining data from one million Swedes has allowed a definitive link to be drawn between body mass index (BMI) and cause of death. It demonstrated that the link between a high BMI (indicating an overweight or obese condition) and coronary heart disease, may be even stronger than previously thought. By linking the BMI of parents with that of their children the statistical analysis was able to avoid biases caused by confounding influences, like weight loss caused by smoking and / or cancer.
A three point increase in BMI was found to be associated with an 82% greater likelihood of heart death. Coronary heart disease costs the US economy more that half a trillion dollars a year. In the UK, the survival of the welfare state is predicated upon people being able to retire later than the current age. Yet heart health, or rather ill-health, is likely to see record numbers off the job and on Incapacity Benefit.
As with the climate change crisis, industrialised nations have created societal norms that have failed to the consider the long term impacts of overconsumption and convenience on our own bodies. Steps must be taken. Walking and jogging are a great start. Because to paraphrase the legendary late Bill Shankly, healthy weight and regular physical activity are not just a matter of life and death: they're much more important than that.
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