IJE Advance Access originally published online on July 22, 2008
International Journal of Epidemiology 2008 37(5):1005-1007; doi:10.1093/ije/dyn144
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2008; all rights reserved.
Commentary: Is the concern regarding overweight/obesity in India overstated?
1 Health Partners Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55440, USA.
2 Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 7th floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
* Corresponding author. Mail Stop: 21111R, 8170 33rd Ave S, PO Box 1524, Minneapolis, MN 55440-1524, USA. E-mail: kenneth.f.adams@healthpartners.com
Accepted 18 June 2008
| The first 10% of the full text of this article appears below. |
The association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality continues to defy easy characterization. In this issue, Sauvaget and colleagues1 report elevated BMI to be unrelated to mortality risk in a rural Indian population. In fact, their results could be interpreted to suggest that overweight Asian-Indians have reduced mortality. At the same time, underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2) was associated with increased risk. Given the attention paid to excess weight as a public health problem worldwide, the lack of association between elevated BMI and mortality may seem surprising. Studies in both Asia and the West have been mixed regarding the relation between mildly excessive BMI and mortality2–4. Little data
| Acknowledgements |
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Related articles in Int. J. Epidemiol.:
- Body mass index, weight change and mortality risk in a prospective study in India
- Catherine Sauvaget, Kunnambath Ramadas, Gigi Thomas, Jissa Vinoda, Somanathan Thara, and Rengaswamy Sankaranarayanan
Int. J. Epidemiol. 2008 37: 990-1004.[Abstract] [FREE Full Text]