The potential dangers of being underweight

While obesity in America demands much of the focus in the medical community, around 4.5 million people were dangerously underweight as recently as 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to Healthline, a person is defined as being underweight if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is below 18.5. An example of this would be a 5’4″ woman who weighs less than 108 pounds.

Being underweight is closely linked to malnourishment because the person is likely not consuming enough vitamins, nutrients, and calories to support a healthy body in the long term and many problems will stem from this condition. In general, these people are prone to have less energy, and the immune system will suffer, leading to more frequent illness. Similarly, a person’s ability to heal wounds is compromised, and studies have found that underweight patients have a harder time recovering from from surgeries.

In women, there is extra cause for concern for those underweight because of its connection to osteoporosis and infertility. Studies of 1,767 pre-menopausal women found that 24 percent of those underweight had low bone mineral density compared to only 9.4 percent of those with an average BMI. Meanwhile, more low BMI women suffer from amenorrhea, the absence of menses, or other menstrual irregularities which can indicate ovulation. If there is a lack of ovulation for too long, it can lead to infertility.