HEALTH GUIDE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 256, 29 October 1942, Page 3

HEALTH GUIDE

OVER-WEIGHT PROBLEM (By the Health Department.) If you're one of the army of overweights. you will be interested in the following lather challenging facts. They are the results of detailed investigation into the relationship of over-weight to mortality. The fundamental finding is that the greater the degree of overweight the greater is the mortality rate. Men who are. for instance. 35 per cent over-weight, or more, have a mortality over one and a half times that of the average weight man. In other words, their death rate is more than three to two. Those only slightly over-weight have a mortality only a little higher than those of average weight. It is considered that the most favourable build as regards mortality at the various adult ages in men is: L'p to :10 years, slight over-weight; ages 30 to 39. average weight: 40 to 49 slight under-weight, and 50 and over, an appreciable degree of underweight. High blood pressure is over two and a half times as common among over-weights as among average weights: the death rate of overweights from heart disease and cerebral hemorrhage is one and a half times that of the average weights, and nearly twice that of the undei--weights. Rright's disease (of the kidneys) is much more prevalent among the over-weights, while with diabetes the incidence in the overweight class is two and a half times i that in the average weight class, and four times that in the "under-weight ; class. i But be careful how you reduce. 111jadvistd methods of weight reduction may prove more harmful than overweight itself. There must, be medical supervision in any plan to reduce.