Modern culture’s obsession with “thin” as the ideal body type is more than a sociocultural phenomenon. It is a cultural norm with important biological implications. It is easy to forget that body fat helps to regulate many physiological functions. Body fat, when not overdone, functions as an insurance policy if the body is put under stress...as it is when we undergo surgery.
I have long argued that a “little fat” is a good thing for the body. Conversely, I have argued that our current crop of very low BMI models and actresses are putting themselves at risk to please fashion designers who, for reasons beyond our discussion here, prefer women to diet away their biological femininity.
Below you will find an article that reviews a very important study on how low to low normal BMI puts the thinner person at risk after surgery. This confirms my position on the subject, a position shared by traditional grandmothers and mothers who know intuitively that a good appetite and having a little “meat on your bones” is, as Martha Stewart would say: “A good thing.”
LOW BMI
Low-normal BMI linked to higher post-surgery deaths
Charlottesville, Va. — Surgery patients with a body mass index at the lower end of the normal range are more likely to die within 30 days of the procedure than those in the moderately overweight range, according to a new study.
A research team led by George J. Stukenborg, Ph.D., of the University of Virginia, analyzed National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) data on 189,533 surgeries performed in 2005 and 2006. Investigators found that patients with a BMI below 23.1 had a significantly higher risk of death compared with patients whose BMI was 26.3 to 29.6. BMI values of 20 to 25 are considered normal. A value of 30 is the standard threshold separating overweight from obesity.
Patients with BMI values higher than 23.1 — including the morbidly obese — had about the same risk of 30-day mortality as the moderately overweight, Medpage Today reports.
The authors note that with some types of surgeries — including colorectal resection, colostomy formation, cholecystectomy, hernia repair, mastectomy and wound debridement — increasing BMI values were associated with higher mortality risk.
Study limitations included lack of data on nonfatal complications, use of hospital resources, or deaths beyond the 30-day mark. The possibility of inaccurate or incomplete data in the NSQIP database also cannot be excluded, the authors write.
Welcome to BeautyExpert.org. If you are a member of the general public interested in the study of visual image, If you are a plastic surgeon or dematologist who is interested in how your work has or will impact your patients, If you are a lawyer involved in a case where an injury has altered a litigant’s looks, If you are contemplating having plastic surgery or considering changing your visual image, if your profession demands that you look your best, then BeautyExpert.org is the place for you.
BeautyExpert.org is headed by Dr. Anthony Napoleon, Ph.D. He is an internationally recognized expert on the analysis and modification of visual image. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a board certification in medical psychology. In addition to his hospital-based internship where he was appointed chief intern, and his clinical residency at the California Department of Rehabilitation, he completed a year and a half fellowship in plastic surgery as a medical psychologist and physician's assistant, at the Plastic Surgery and Lipoplasty Center in La Jolla, California.
Dr. Anthony attended Indiana University, where he graduated with honors in psychology from Indiana's prestigious College of Arts and Sciences. He completed work on his Ph.D. at the United States International University, with Indiana University credits, in San Diego, California. He is a California licensed clinical psychologist, with a board certification in medical psychology.
His research on plastic surgery and physical attractiveness has been published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. He has authored the book Awakening Beauty, An Illustrated Look at Mankind’s Love and Hatred of Beauty. He has written on skin care, plastic surgery, forensics and has testified as an expert witness. He has taught state and federal judges how to interpret body language in their courtrooms, and has provided mandatory continuing education to physicians and lawyers. He has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, and has been a popular speaker and guest on radio and television. He has worked for governmental entities as well as the private sector.
Dr. Anthony Interviewed by CBS News on Body Modification
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