A longer, healthier life is just six pounds away

Yesterday, I shared a recent study that showed that, if you’re obese, all you have to do is drop 13 percent of your body weight to cut your risk of diabetes nearly in half.

And today, I’ve got more good news: According to another new study recently published in PLOS Medicine, you don’t have to be obese to reap this benefit. In fact, you don’t even have to be overweight at all…

It only takes six pounds

Researchers looked at data from nearly 300,000 subjects who participated in the U.K. Biobank from 2006 to 2010. Participants were all between the ages of 40 and 69 years at the time of the study.

Nearly five percent of subjects had diagnosed type 2 diabetes—and as you might expect, risk was linked with higher body mass index (BMI) and family history. Among these subjects, every single point reduction in BMI—a loss that equates to about six pounds—reduced diabetes risk by 21 percent.

But here’s where things get interesting…

Results also revealed the same trend among non-overweight subjects—that is, people with a BMI lower than 25 and no family history of diabetes. Among this group, every single point reduction in BMI was linked with a 37 percent drop in risk of type 2 diabetes.

Now, this isn’t to suggest that a lower BMI is always better—obviously, there are significant health risks associated with being underweight, too. But I think it’s safe to say that higher BMIs are riskier to your health, in nearly every situation you can imagine.

Even borderline weight takes a toll on your overall health and wellbeing. And it certainly won’t help you live longer, despite the modern misconception that “a little extra padding” might actually protect you against disease.

There’s no upside to being overweight

This absurd notion is known as the “obesity paradox.” And as you might recall from previous discussions on this topic, it’s based on the results from a 2013 JAMA study that claimed being overweight might actually help you live longer.

But another recent study, which appeared in the European Heart Journal in 2018, has tossed this misleading theory to the top of the trash heap… right where it belongs.

Researchers also analyzed data from the U.K. Biobank. And they found that subjects with BMIs between 22 and 23 had the lowest risk of heart disease. (This is directly in the middle of the normal range—you’re not considered “overweight” until you exceed a BMI of 25.)

But for every significant BMI increase above 22—specifically, a 5.2 rise for women and a 4.3 rise for men (which is enough to push you into a new weight category)—the risk of heart disease increased by 13 percent.

The bottom line: There’s no upside to being overweight—it’s never healthy, no matter how good your other numbers look on paper. That’s the cold, hard truth—however the vocal “fat but fit” crowd wants to spin it.

The sooner doctors and patients ditch this delusion, the sooner we can all roll our sleeves up and start actually doing something to put an end to this modern health crisis.

And for additional ways to protect your heart as you age, I encourage you to check out my Ultimate Heart-Protection Protocol. This innovative, online learning tool outlines an all-natural plan for preventing and reversing America’s biggest killers… like high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now!

Source:

“Lower BMI means lower diabetes risk, even among non-overweight people.” Science Daily, 12/10/2019. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191210140412.htm)