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Guidelines on Overweight and Obesity: Electronic Textbook
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Mortality

In the majority of epidemiologic studies, mortality begins to increase with BMIs above 25 kg/m2 (28-32). The increase in mortality generally tends to be modest until a BMI of 30 kg/m2 is reached (28, 29, 31, 32).  For persons with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or above, mortality rates from all causes, and especially from cardiovascular disease, are generally increased by 50 to 100 percent above that of persons with BMIs in the range of 20 to 25 kg/m2 (28, 31, 32). Three aspects of the association between obesity and mortality remain unresolved:

  • Association of Body Mass Index with Mortality
  • Association of Body Mass Index with Mortality in Older Adults
  • Association of Body Mass Index wtih Mortality in Ethnic Minorities
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