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Can Someone Be Fat and Fit?
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Some researchers suggest being overweight can be healthy if combined with an active lifestyle; health is too often reduced to a number on a scale.
30-Second Summary
Prevailing medical wisdom holds that overweight Americans are at increased risk of death from heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.
In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that obesity costs the United States $75 billion in health care and lost productivity.
But in recent years a number of voices have spoken up, in books and studies, to suggest that excess fat is not as much of a factor in chronic diseases as having a sedentary lifestyle.
Two years ago CDC researcher Katherine M. Flegal did a statistical analysis of national survey data and found that “mildly overweight adults had a lower risk of dying than those at so-called healthy weights,” Scientific American reports.
Though most researchers agree that a thin sedentary person faces similar health risks as someone who is overweight, those who have studied obesity believe it remains a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
In addition, some experts say weight, physical activity and the risk of chronic health problems such as diabetes are three separate health issues that should not necessarily be lumped together.
Weight management and obesity prevention is a popular topic online, and there are thousands of Web sites devoted to both issues.
Nonetheless, as the scientific community continues to study the relationship between weight, lifestyle and health, studies that produce differing conclusions can be confusing. Asking critical questions about the research and talking to a physician can go a long way in helping people determine what is best for their situation.
In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that obesity costs the United States $75 billion in health care and lost productivity.
But in recent years a number of voices have spoken up, in books and studies, to suggest that excess fat is not as much of a factor in chronic diseases as having a sedentary lifestyle.
Two years ago CDC researcher Katherine M. Flegal did a statistical analysis of national survey data and found that “mildly overweight adults had a lower risk of dying than those at so-called healthy weights,” Scientific American reports.
Though most researchers agree that a thin sedentary person faces similar health risks as someone who is overweight, those who have studied obesity believe it remains a serious problem that needs to be addressed.
In addition, some experts say weight, physical activity and the risk of chronic health problems such as diabetes are three separate health issues that should not necessarily be lumped together.
Weight management and obesity prevention is a popular topic online, and there are thousands of Web sites devoted to both issues.
Nonetheless, as the scientific community continues to study the relationship between weight, lifestyle and health, studies that produce differing conclusions can be confusing. Asking critical questions about the research and talking to a physician can go a long way in helping people determine what is best for their situation.
Headline Links: Fat and fit at the same time?
Researchers have questioned whether obesity is a bad as many scientists say. Katherine M. Flegal’s statistical analysis even suggested that mildly overweight adults had a “lower risk of dying than those at so-called healthy weights,” according to Scientific American. Still others disagree. “About every 10 years this idea comes along that says it’s better to be overweight. And we have to stomp it out,” said Walter Willett, a Harvard University professor who has spent years studying obesity’s negative effects.
Source: Scientific American
Overweight people can still help their bodies by exercising, even if the pounds don’t come off, according to Katherine Zeratsky, a dietitian at the Mayo Clinic. Weight doesn’t tell the whole story, since an overweight person is better off carrying extra muscle than extra fat.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Reaction: Fit and fat possible, but unusual
The Calorie Control Council interviewed experts around the country who largely dismissed the idea that someone could be very overweight, or obese, and still be fit. “I think that a person who is both fit and fat is a rare bird,” said one expert. But weight shouldn’t be a person’s sole focus either, the experts say.
Source: The Calorie Control Council
Reference: Obesity, weight loss guides
findingDulcinea offers an obesity guide highlighting the best Web sites that explain the condition, its causes, its effects on the body and how it can be prevented and treated.
Source: findingDulcinea
findingDulcinea has a guide to weight loss featuring the most useful Web sites for starting a weight loss strategy, eating healthier and maintaining progress once the weight comes off.
Source: findingDulcinea
Related: What to do with contradictory research
A 2006 article from the Ohio State University’s Medical Center Media Relations Office estimates that more than 1,000 studies are produced each day and often draw conflicting conclusions. The article points out some useful indicators of a study’s quality. For example, studies involving more people are generally more reliable than those with a small sample. The article also advises readers to find out who paid for the study and how it was designed. Those that are double-blind are among the “gold standards,” states the article.
Source: Netwellness.org
Physicians are not always sure how to interpret studies that yield conflicting advice, according Doctor LuAnn Moraski of the Wisconsin Medical Society’s column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Moraski writes that people should not stop taking medicine if they read about a study that scares them. Instead, they should call their doctor to discuss what to do next. Though a study may be conducted correctly, with correct conclusions, it may not be relevant to every patient.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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