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Show Overweight and Life Span By DR. JAMES W. BARTON Bell Syndicate. WNU Service. FOR many years it was believed that overweight shortens the span of life but it was not until the large insurance companies with the records of thousands of "healthy" individuals accepted for life insurance, gave out their figures to physicians that the true facts became known. These facts are that overweight pyffliuuwpiui. Jim, A " X! I ,A J h "Aij definitely shortens the span of life. Taking Tak-ing the life expectancy expec-tancy of individuals of definite height, age and weight, it Is shortened in the exact ex-act proportion to the amount or percentage percent-age of overweight that exists. The table states: "Taking the life expectancy ex-pectancy of any individual in-dividual as 100 per Dr. Barton cent, his mortality or death rating as influenced by overweight is given in percentages. Thus a person 5 feet tall whose standard weight is 129 pounds, but who weighs 50 per cent in excess, or 193 pounds, has a mortality or death rate of 170 per cent, or 70 per cent above normal." In commenting upon this fact that the death rate is increased in proportion pro-portion to the percentage or amount of overweight. Dr. Harry Gauss, University of Colorado, in his book "Clinical Dietetics" says: "There is nothing amazing in these statistics. statis-tics. A person whose normal weight is 150 pounds and who weighs 180 pounds is carrying 20 per cent excess ex-cess body tissue. His heart is required re-quired to pump blood to 20 per cent increased tissues by weight, the kidneys must get rid of waste matter from 20 per cent increased tissue, the liver and pancreas must do the work for the same increase in tissue, and so all the organs in the abdomen (and also in the chest) are taxed by the increased burden." Now we know that Nature is very generous, that the limit or margin of safety in these organs is much beyond the everyday needs of the body (we could live with one kidney, kid-ney, one half or less of the stomach, of the liver, and of the intestine), but the extra strain of overweight over a number of years must result re-sult in a breaking down before it otherwise would occur. Tendency to Diabetes. "And the reducing of the span of life is not the only penalty of overweight. over-weight. The increased tendency toward to-ward diabetes is another. Dr. E. P. Jnslin, Boston, the outstanding authority au-thority on diabetes, has shown that diabetes Is from ten to twenty times more common among fat persons than in normal or undernourished persons." Dr. W. E. Preble, Boston, Bos-ton, who made observations on 1.000 cases of obesity (overweight), found that 432 of the patients showed evidence of organic heart disease. 230 showed functional diseases of the heart (disturbances such as increased in-creased rate or irregularity), while 4G3 showed evidences of interference interfer-ence with the work of the kidneys. That overweight persons are poor surgical risks is a common observation obser-vation of the surgeons, and that they ofTer less resistance to such infections as pneumonia is a common com-mon observation also." Now the above facts should not make those of normal weight think they would feel better, be more free of ailments, and live longer if they were to reduce their weight. To be of normal weight, with just the right amount of fat (15 to 20 per cent of the total body weight) is an asset. Cut Down on Bread. Nor should those who are slightly overweight give the above figures much thought; a matter of 5 to 8 pounds over the average weight should cause no concern. Perhaps cutting down slightly on bread, butter but-ter and potatoes nothing more would reduce the weight to normal over a period of two to three months. It is of course fortunate up to a certain point that (lie fashion for slimness has passed its height; stage directors no longer demand that members of the chorus shall be "skinny" and women in general are not ashamed of curves any more. This will prove helpful if women, and men also, will not let the pendulum swing loo far the other way, and allow themselves to become overweight, because there is no getting away from the facts presented in insurance tables. Insurance companies do not refuse re-fuse applicants for insurance if they can help It. Their business ts to insure nil that tliey "safely" can. The fact that tliey refuse applicants with excessive overweight, and charge a higher premium for those who are even moderately overweight over-weight Is the strongest possible argument that overweight is not only u menace to heallh but nitely shortens the life span. |