Archive for the ‘obesity&suicide’ Category
Obesity and lower suicide rate
In some articles we have seen many times the amount of negative consequences associated obesity. However, to counter a bit, a recent study has linked the disease with a low rate of suicides.
Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston studied suicide rates and obesity in the United States during 2004 and 2005. On average, a quarter of adults surveyed were classified as obese based on body mass index. This index is the result of the peso and height (for more on this click here). Additionally, there were on average about 12 suicides per 100,000 adults.
However with every 3% increase in obesity in a given state unless there were 3 suicides per 100,000 adults. The U.S. states with highest obesity rates also had a lower rate of successful suicides using guns, suffocation or poisoning.
In general, states with higher rates of obesity also had higher rates of gun ownership, adult smoking, more education, lower rates and reduced revenue. Even considering this factors-obesity connection suicide remained constant.
As you can imagine even more studies are needed to discover which the determining factor in this is. This research can not prove a direct link between obesity and low rate of suicides and, although in the future so, the risks of obesity are higher than this potential benefit.