The overweight debate: Healthy and heavy?
Has science overemphasized the danger of a few extra pounds?
Courtesy of Sarah Mahoney: Beyond the BMI
Turns out, I’m not the only one asking these questions. In fact, in light of several new studies, experts are divided on the danger posed by excess weight, especially if the person is, like me, generally healthy and fit. Much of the research linking excess weight and an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, among other chronic diseases (the list goes on and on), has been done on people who are obese, with a BMI of 30 or more. When the merely overweight folks are separated out, the health risks drop and sometimes even disappear.
“Being overweight may not be associated with any risk of heart disease,” says Robert Eckel, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and past president of the American Heart Association.
Recently, researchers from the CDC and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) caused waves in the medical community with a report analyzing the death records of 37,000 adults. Although obese folks had a greater risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, those who were simply overweight had, surprisingly, no greater risk than normal-weight people. Even more amazing, the findings suggested that being overweight may actually protect against death from a multitude of diseases other than cancer and heart disease. The research made headlines (”Is That Spare Tire a Lifesaver?”). Critics quickly responded that the study failed to consider quality-of-life issues caused by excess pounds and didn’t appropriately control for unhealthy habits like smoking, which can keep people lean but undeniably raise cancer risk. Still, it added fuel to the ongoing debate of whether losing weight is absolutely necessary to reduce disease risk if you’re not obese.
In a nutshell, if your waist is bigger than your chest, you may need to start living a healthier lifestyle. Ask your doctor or health care provider about your optimal healthy weight.
October 21st, 2008 at 10:34 am
[...] webmaster wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptHas science overemphasized the danger of a few extra pounds? Courtesy of Sarah Mahoney: Beyond the BMI Turns out, I’m not the only one asking these questions. In fact, in light of several new studies, experts are divided on the danger … [...]
October 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am
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