Body weight influences quality of life

A new study has revealed the impact that having a healthy body mass index (BMI) score has on quality of life.
Interestingly, while physical health gets worse when weight is gained, mental wellbeing was found to improve as BMI rose – contrasting the previous findings of many research projects on this study.
Scientists from the Institute of Health Economics and Health Care Management in Germany followed 3,000 people over the course of seven years and found a complex relationship between weight and happiness.
Professor Rolf Holle, who was the study’s co-author, said: “The understanding of these associations is crucial for developing medically effective and cost-effective strategies to prevent and manage obesity.”
These findings are likely help doctors to more effectively tailor diet strategies for their patients. If positive sources of wellbeing can be found elsewhere, then problematic eating regimes can be mitigated and weight loss achieved.
The UK is currently going through an obesity crisis and according to Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development has the seventh highest average BMI score in the first world.