Abstract
The close association of obesity with increased overall mortality, cardiovascular mortality and morbidity of various causes has become a dogma of medicine. Much of the reasoning behind this dogma is based on the North American Life Insurance Companies’ data, which were published in the comprehensive Build and Blood Pressure Study in 1959 (Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 1959). From these data, ideal body weight standards were calculated as predictors for an individual’s optimal longevity. In fact, these standards have profoundly influenced the thinking and decision-making in medicine, public health and in our societies for decades. The actual evidence for these policies on the definition and evaluation of overweight and obesity as predictors and risk factors of morbidity and excess mortality will be reviewed in detail.
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Berger, M. (1995). Disease risks of obesity. In: Cottrell, R. (eds) Weight Control. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0583-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0583-5_1
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