Re: "Association of body mass index with suicide mortality: A prospective cohort study of more than one million men" [2]

The increased prevalence of obesity and overweight has been vividly identified as “a massive tsunami headed toward the United States” (1). The “war on fat” is growing contentious in this country, and worldwide as well. One might assume that the question of the effects of overweight and obesity on mental health would have been well answered by now. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A recent cohort study of more than one million Swedish men followed for three decades demonstrated a protective effect of increased body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)2) against completed suicide (2). Fat may really be jolly for some of us (3, 4). There is additional evidence for this possibility from US national surveys.