Most health care providers have assumed that weight should be a primary focus of health, at least since the early 20th century. That’s when the life insurance industry began to collect data that showed a higher body weight predicted a shorter life span.
Then came the correlation between dietary fat and heart disease, and the modern BMI measurement of body fat was born. By 1985, BMI was adopted by the National Institutes of Health as one of two official ways to assess body fat.
But more recent research points to the fact that the stigma larger people face - both in society and in the doctor’s office - plays an important role in health outcomes as well.
Today on Wellness Wednesday: What if we quit obsessing about weight? Plus more health news.
Guests:
- Dr. Andrea Klemes, chief medical officer, MDVIP
- Vince McGrail, executive director and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association Central Ohio Chapter
- Virginia Sole-Smith, journalist, author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image And Guilt In America and co-host of the Comfort Food Podcast
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