Kudos to Israel for banning overly-skinny models

[kenny]

There is thin, and there is too thin.
Anorexia and bulimia are the terrible dark side of fashion industry.

Something new is being done to save lives.
If your BMI is under 18.5 you can't work as a model in Israel!

IMHO, denying work, and more importantly preventing the publication and viewing of fashion images of dangerously-skinny women, is an effective approach.


Please watch this video. http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_c2#/video/world/2012/03/27/chance-israel-underweight-models.cnn

 

[Missy]

Hopefully this common sense will spread and healthy will start to be perceived as beautiful rather than the anorexic model appearance we are bombarded with currently.

 

[iheartscience]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

 

[yennyfire]

That's great! There may be hope for young girls to have healthy body images despite the fashion industry!

 

[Missy]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

Amen to this!

Annette

 

[iheartscience]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, and I'm not saying the rule has no merit. I'm just pointing out that a BMI under 18.5 doesn't = "dangerously skinny." Even when I had a BMI of 16.5 I didn't look "dangerously skinny."

 

[Missy]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, and I'm not saying the rule has no merit. I'm just pointing out that a BMI under 18.5 doesn't = "dangerously skinny." Even when I had a BMI of 16.5 I didn't look "dangerously skinny."

Yes, and I agreed with you re that point. However, most people with a BMI under 18.5 are at an unhealthy body weight.

 

[iheartscience]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, and I'm not saying the rule has no merit. I'm just pointing out that a BMI under 18.5 doesn't = "dangerously skinny." Even when I had a BMI of 16.5 I didn't look "dangerously skinny."

Yes, and I agreed with you re that point. However, most people with a BMI under 18.5 are at an unhealthy body weight.

Really? Have studies concluded that a BMI under 18.5 is truly unhealthy? I'm curious, not trying to pick on you.

 

[canuk-gal]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, and I'm not saying the rule has no merit. I'm just pointing out that a BMI under 18.5 doesn't = "dangerously skinny." Even when I had a BMI of 16.5 I didn't look "dangerously skinny."

Yes, and I agreed with you re that point. However, most people with a BMI under 18.5 are at an unhealthy body weight.

Really? Have studies concluded that a BMI under 18.5 is truly unhealthy? I'm curious, not trying to pick on you.

Yes, please share the research/evidence.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Missy]

...healthy body weights vary.

But seriously, a BMI of 18.5 isn't insanely skinny, particularly for younger women. My BMI was between 16.5 and 17.5 until my mid 20s. And no, I didn't have an eating disorder.

That is true Thing but I think we can all agree that there is a lot of pressure in the modeling world to be thin to the point of being unhealthy. I see this as a step in the right direction. There is also undue pressure on young people today to aspire to an unhealthy body weight and it warps perceptions (especially of vulnerable and impressionable young women) of what looks good. Good health should always be the emphasis and I agree healthy body weights vary.

I'm sure there is a lot of pressure, and I'm not saying the rule has no merit. I'm just pointing out that a BMI under 18.5 doesn't = "dangerously skinny." Even when I had a BMI of 16.5 I didn't look "dangerously skinny."

Yes, and I agreed with you re that point. However, most people with a BMI under 18.5 are at an unhealthy body weight.

Really? Have studies concluded that a BMI under 18.5 is truly unhealthy? I'm curious, not trying to pick on you.

The BMI ranges are not exact ranges of healthy and unhealthy weight. However, studies have shown that health risk increases as BMI increases or decreases into the too low category. So they in conjunction with other measurements are all part of the puzzle in determining good or bad health. There are many factors and the BMI is but one of those.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/323460-bmi-heart-disease/

An unhealthy low body mass index can also put you at increased risk for heart disease. A study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" in 2010 by Amy Berrington de Gonzalez and colleagues studied the relationship between low body mass index and mortality from heart disease. The study analyzed data from 19 studies, totaling 1.4 million men and women. The results showed that an increased risk of mortality occurred for people outside of the healthy range, including those in the underweight category.

http://stephen-a-christensen.suite101.com/health-risks-of-abnormally-low-body-weight-a211720

Much has been made of America's obesity epidemic and its associated costs. What doesn't seem to get as much attention is the unhealthy effects of being underweight.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese; the damage wrought by this problem – both in individual and collective terms – has been a matter of much public discussion. What is not widely known, and what may not have even been well characterized, is the number of U.S. citizens whose health is threatened because they are significantly below their ideal body weight.

Supermodels who succumb to the effects of abstemious lifestyles get front-page attention, and everyone decries (for a moment) the misguided philosophy that leads to these young women’s demise…but then society acquiesces to – indeed, even embraces – the selfsame behaviors that allow such tragedies to occur.

It is a very strange and dichotomous belief system that permits the alarming expansion of American waistlines while simultaneously espousing unrealistic notions of anatomical “perfection.” Many young people in particular have difficulty sorting out cultural expectations, and many of them develop long-term psychological and physical illness as a result.

However, being underweight is not strictly the purview of young people or of individuals afflicted with eating disorders or body dysmorphic disorder. Older individuals – due to a variety of socioeconomic, medical, or psychological circumstances – frequently have trouble maintaining adequate body weight, too.
A Body Mass Index below 18 Defines a State of Underweight

Body mass index (BMI) is a statistical measurement that compares a person’s weight to his or her height. It does not measure one’s percentage of body fat. Therefore, lean individuals who are extremely muscular – and therefore disproportionately heavy for their height – can be incorrectly defined as “obese” when BMI is the only tool used to evaluate their status.

BMI more accurately identifies individuals who are “underweight,” though, because persons with a low BMI are lacking in both fat and muscle mass in comparison to their height.
Read This Next

* How to Find Your Ideal Weight
* Why Body Mass Index is Important
* What are the Health Effects of Obesity?

A cut-off value of 18.5 as the low end of a normal weight range is not an arbitrary one; epidemiological evaluation of human populations shows that people whose BMI is less than 18 are at a higher risk for certain medical problems than those whose BMI ranges from 18.5 to 25, and underweight individuals exhibit a higher death rate than people who are even slightly overweight.
Medical Problems Associated with Being Underweight

Some of the adverse health effects of being underweight are easily explained: They are directly related to malnutrition and its consequences. Other observations, however, are not so readily elucidated; they are simply the product of statistical review.

It is clear, though, that underweight individuals are significantly more likely to encounter difficulties with the following issues:

* Osteoporosis: loss of bone mass resulting from a lack of stress on weight-bearing bones
* Decreased immunity: the result of poor white cell production and function (a nutritional effect)
* Cancer: secondary to suboptimal immune function
* Poor wound healing: the aftermath of poor nutrition
* Amenorrhea (lack of menstruation) in women
* Infertility
* Cardiac irregularities: possibly secondary to electrolyte abnormalities (magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc.)
* Increased susceptibility to vascular diseases (e.g., coronary artery disease): being underweight may contribute to systemic inflammation, a primary culprit in atherosclerosis
* Increased total mortality and cardiovascular mortality

While underweight individuals seem to have a higher risk of death than overweight or even slightly obese persons, part of the difference might be explained by shortcomings of the BMI, which doesn’t differentiate between body fat and lean mass in normal and overweight persons. Nevertheless, being underweight is the hallmark of nutritional deprivation, which is associated with higher all-cause mortality.

Additionally, pre-existing medical conditions that predispose a person to early mortality may actually be the cause for them being underweight. Unfortunately, well-designed studies that account for this variable still point to higher mortality in underweight people.

Individuals who are underweight are at increased risk for several health problems, and anyone whose BMI is less than 18 should make an effort to gain weight after they have consulted with a health care professional to rule out underlying medical conditions. Good nutrition and reasonable exercise – rather than mere consumption of extra calories – should be the mainstays of any weight gain program.

 

[kenny]

Generalizations are generally true.
Exceptions do not make generalizations generally true.

 

[iLander]

I am not the type to know my BMI off the top of my head, but I found an online calculator;

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

For what it's worth, I apparently had a BMI under 18 for most of my adult life. Since hitting middle age, I gained 20 lbs and I'm now "normal".

Whew! Thought I was getting fat!

So, all this mushy stuff around my middle is okay?

ETA: I will discuss the downside of being underweight, as I experienced it; after you eat, your hands get really cold and you're fainty. If you don't eat on time, you're fainty. If you get up too fast, you're fainty.

Being skinny is not nearly as much fun as people make it out to be.

 

[Missy]

Generalizations are generally true.
Exceptions do not make generalizations generally true.

But it is good to be aware that yes, there are exceptions to the rule and yes BMI is but one factor taken into account regarding healthy weight. BMI does not take into account certain things like percentage of body fat so it is not entirely accurate always but it certainly is a useful guideline and you can go from there.

 

[kenny]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

 

[Missy]

I am not the type to know my BMI off the top of my head, but I found an online calculator;

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

For what it's worth, I apparently had a BMI under 18 for most of my adult life. Since hitting middle age, I gained 20 lbs and I'm now "normal".

Whew! Thought I was getting fat!

So, all this mushy stuff around my middle is okay?

LOL exactly! What the BMI is not telling you is how much fat you have vs lean muscle so I prefer to go by the way I look and how my clothes fit.Yes I take some solace in the fact that I fall into a "normal" BMI range but my eyes don't lie either KWIM?

 

[Missy]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

I agree Kenny. I was just answering (to the best of my ability) Thing and Sharon's query re BMI and health.

 

[iheartscience]

The peer-reviewed articles referenced at the bottom of the Livestrong article focus more on the risks of high BMI than on low BMI. However, the second of the NEJM articles states the following:

"Two findings suggest that the association between a low BMI (less than 20.0) and increased mortality is probably, at least in part, an artifact of preexisting disease. First, the association between underweight and increased mortality was substantially weaker after 15 years of follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.21) than after 5 years of follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.73), which is consistent with greater confounding by other prevalent diseases (diseases that were undiagnosed or those we did not have data for) in the early years of follow-up. Second, the association was somewhat weaker among persons who were physically active (those who were lean and fit) than among persons who were inactive (those with illness-induced wasting)."

Furthermore, according to the tables in the second linked NEJM article, high BMI had a higher hazard ratio than low BMI. So according to the data, it's actually more dangerous to your health to have a high BMI than it is to have a low BMI.

 

[iheartscience]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

 

[Missy]

The peer-reviewed articles referenced at the bottom of the Livestrong article focus more on the risks of high BMI than on low BMI. However, the second of the NEJM articles states the following:

"Two findings suggest that the association between a low BMI (less than 20.0) and increased mortality is probably, at least in part, an artifact of preexisting disease. First, the association between underweight and increased mortality was substantially weaker after 15 years of follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.21) than after 5 years of follow-up (hazard ratio, 1.73), which is consistent with greater confounding by other prevalent diseases (diseases that were undiagnosed or those we did not have data for) in the early years of follow-up. Second, the association was somewhat weaker among persons who were physically active (those who were lean and fit) than among persons who were inactive (those with illness-induced wasting)."

Furthermore, according to the tables in the second linked NEJM article, high BMI had a higher hazard ratio than low BMI. So according to the data, it's actually more dangerous to your health to have a high BMI than it is to have a low BMI.

Nevertheless there is increased mortality risk with both high and low BMI thing. I was just trying to answer your question which asked if there was any evidence of this and yes there is. There are studies concluding that low BMI's are unhealthy. I am not arguing if high is worse than low because I think high is worse than low but I also think being underweight is a big health risk as well.

 

[iLander]

What the BMI is not telling you is how much fat you have vs lean muscle so I prefer to go by the way I look and how my clothes fit.Yes I take some solace in the fact that I fall into a "normal" BMI range but my eyes don't lie either KWIM?

I agree with this. Also, frame size is not measured on those charts. My DH is 6 feet, with a large frame (big knees, wrists, bones, etc) and major muscles. When I met him, he weighed 175, and he looked sick. WAY too skinny! He's added 20 lbs over the years and now he looks normal and his biceps don't look like giant cantaloupes perched on sticks.

 

[iLander]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

Maybe, but I would put the fashion industry first for the myriad of self-induced health problems women create for themselves.

 

[kenny]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

 

[iheartscience]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I'm not all upset, I just really dislike the classification of anyone with a BMI under 18.5 as "dangerously skinny." Mainly because it's not true.

ETA not to mention that having a BMI below 18.5 does not mean you are bulimic or anorexic. Thin does not = eating disorder.

 

[Missy]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I was wondering that myself. I can only think (and this is just an educated guess) that some are taking it too personally. As in hey, my BMI is low but I am healthy! My guess anyway.

 

[Missy]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I'm not all upset, I just really dislike the classification of anyone with a BMI under 18.5 as "dangerously skinny." Mainly because it's not true.

ETA not to mention that having a BMI below 18.5 does not mean you are bulimic or anorexic. Thin does not = eating disorder.

But it sorta is Thing. As a generalization that is. Doesn't mean you were or are too skinny. Just means that for the most part people who weigh under a certain amount at a certain height are too thin.

 

[iheartscience]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I was wondering that myself. I can only think (and this is just an educated guess) that some are taking it too personally. As in hey, my BMI is low but I am healthy! My guess anyway.

Yes, I am taking it personally, because I've been well below the magic cut off of 18.5 (and am still close to it now) and I'm not even close to being dangerously thin.

 

[iheartscience]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I'm not all upset, I just really dislike the classification of anyone with a BMI under 18.5 as "dangerously skinny." Mainly because it's not true.

ETA not to mention that having a BMI below 18.5 does not mean you are bulimic or anorexic. Thin does not = eating disorder.

But it sorta is Thing. As a generalization that is. Doesn't mean you were or are too skinny. Just means that for the most part people who weigh under a certain amount at a certain height are too thin.

But statistically speaking it's actually more dangerous to have a high BMI. No generalizations needed.

 

[Missy]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I was wondering that myself. I can only think (and this is just an educated guess) that some are taking it too personally. As in hey, my BMI is low but I am healthy! My guess anyway.

Yes, I am taking it personally, because I've been well below the magic cut off of 18.5 (and am still close to it now) and I'm not even close to being dangerously thin.

I am not saying you are. In any way shape or form. In fact, I was way under the "healthy" BMI range for most of my teens, twenties and a bit into my thirties. But then again I was too thin and my doctor suggested I gain weight to prevent osteoporosis amongst other things so I did. And my bone density went to normal from osteopenic. There are most definitely problems with being underweight whether or not you classify yourself as too thin or not. Osteoporosis being one of them. But again, I am not saying you are too thin. As I pointed out the BMI is but one factor to take into account and if your doctor determines you are at a healthy weight then good for you and no worries about BMI...for you.

 

[Missy]

Quibbling over what criteria or number is used to draw the line misses the point.

Women are dying.
Solutions are needed.
The fashion industry carries a lot of blame for publishing zillions of images of gaunt women as the ideal of beauty.

The fashion industry is the last entity I'd blame for the myriad of health problems women face.

This thread is not about the myriad.
It's about the two mentioned in the OP, bulimia and anorexia.

Gee, folks.
I think this is a wonder thing.
Why are people all upset?

I'm not all upset, I just really dislike the classification of anyone with a BMI under 18.5 as "dangerously skinny." Mainly because it's not true.

ETA not to mention that having a BMI below 18.5 does not mean you are bulimic or anorexic. Thin does not = eating disorder.

But it sorta is Thing. As a generalization that is. Doesn't mean you were or are too skinny. Just means that for the most part people who weigh under a certain amount at a certain height are too thin.

But statistically speaking it's actually more dangerous to have a high BMI. No generalizations needed.

But that wasn't your question to me was it? You asked if there were any studies indicating low BMI to be unhealthy.