August 15, 2011 2:48 PM

Obesity police busted? Study says fat folks can be healthy

By
David W Freeman
Topics
News ,
Diet ,
Disease

(Credit: istockphoto)

(CBS) Can fat people be healthy? A provocative new study shows that obese people who are otherwise healthy live just as long as their slim counterparts.

And that wasn't the only surprising finding. The study also showed otherwise healthy obese people are even less likely than lean people to die of cardiovascular disease.

"Our findings challenge the idea that all obese individuals need to lose weight," study author Dr. Jennifer L. Kuk, assistant professor at York University School of Kinesiology & Health Science, said in a written statement. "Moreover, it's possible that trying - and failing - to lose weight may be more detrimental than simply staying at an elevated body weight and engaging in a healthy lifestyle that includes physical activity and a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables."

For the study - published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism - researchers compared the death rate of 6,000 obese Americans over a 16-year span to the death rate of lean individuals. The researcher found that the mortality rate of fat people who had no or only minor obesity-related health problems (such as high blood pressure or diabetes) was no higher than that of lean people.

Dr. Kuk told CBS News that she hoped the study would help dispel some common misconceptions about the link between body weight and health.

"I think this is a common notion, that if you are overweight you are unhealthy and that if you are skinny you are healthy," she told CBS News. "What people need to realize is that normal-weight people can have diabetes, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular problems."

And vice-versa.


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by tinarose4u October 27, 2011 2:47 AM EDT
Extreme weight loss, however, comes with risks. Like with any natural process For more info visit

http://fitnessandweightloss.us
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by jjborn September 8, 2011 7:18 PM EDT
Technically, according to the letter of what is actually claimed, the data is literally consistent with what the claims. However, the claims are trivial and given the public's penchant for taking data out of context, I expect many people will misled.

Correlation occurs when something being in class A makes it more likely it is in class B. That is because the percentage of things in A that are also in B is higher than the percentage of things in the general population that are in B.

Being overweight and cardiovascular disease are still correlated. All the study has done is point out that the correlation is not 100%. This is trivial. All interesting correlations (that are not so just be definition) are not 100%. As long as the correlation is not 100%, then there will _always_ be exceptions to the correlation.

The study has found those exceptions by examining only those who it already knows to be healthy, excepting those who have high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, etc.

To put this data in perspective, ask yourself, "Of those who are overweight, how many have cardiovascular disease risk indicators such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, type 2 diabetes?" Then ask yourself, "Of those who are not overweight, how many have cardiovascular disease risk indicators such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol level, type 2 diabetes?"

Finally, there is one take away here, and that is that these indicators (such as blood pressure, blood cholesterol level) are more reliable predictors of the risk of cardiovascular disease than body fat composition. However, body fat composition is _still_ a predictor of cardiovascular disease.
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by jjborn September 8, 2011 8:01 PM EDT
I've actually selected this study for an assignment in biology class and so have read a few other articles. The articles have ranged from sensational to responsible. This article is definitely waaaaaay in the sensational camp.

The actual study just introduces a new obesity health metric. This article takes a few lines from the press release out of context to rile up the audience, which, judging by the comments, worked.

Suffice it to say if you Google "Edmonton Obesity Staging System" you'll find what this study _actually_ reports.

(My probability and statistics analysis of what the study doesn't report is still quite awesome, though.)
by louieD12 August 30, 2011 12:04 AM EDT
Some of the replies on this article is a little ridiculous, and if some of you would just step back and actually understand what this is saying, then maybe you wouldn't be so quick to point the finger and scream, "Gluttony!"

First off, it said "overweight," not morbidly obese. I would highly doubt someone who is morbidly obese to severely morbidly obese is doing any sort of exercise for several reasons; (1) it is probably growing exceedingly difficult for them and (2) you don't get to severe obesity by light exercise three times a week. However, according to the BMI scale, being overweight is FAR different than being morbidly obese; obese is also far different than morbidly obese.

So yes, a few extra pounds -- let's just say thirty extra pounds -- isn't going to completely hinder your life and put you on the fast track to an inevitable death due to cardiovascular disease, clogged arteries, or other complications that are usually seen with other diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. You can eat fruits and veggies whilst exercising and still not be an extremely thin person. People who sit there and cite the fact that old movies on the channel TMC are not overweight is hysterical and possesses a poor foundation. Fifty years from now if people looked at our movies and saw the way people looked in our movies, they'd think we were all essentially flawless and thin too. The media is never going to be a good descriptor of the way a population looked.

I'm just going to guess a lot of you people gobble up the news you want to gobble up because it goes with your views which, in turn, completely detracts from the idea that there is other possibility out there. The original obesity study was done over a much shorter span than 16 years like this one, and it wasn't even done involving thin counterparts. The person who did the study? Yeah, he wasn't even a scientist or licensed doctor. A little suspicious, don't you think? And also, in 1998, the lowered the bar for overweight/obesity on the BMI scale, causing millions of people who were considered "healthy" to become overweight and/or obese. Then, all of the sudden, we had some scary epidemic of fatties eating McDonalds everywhere and not doing a god damn thing.

A lot of you need to step out of the gym for a second and read a damn book about the human body. It's the fat in between organs that causes complications; not the fact underneath the skin. You can't even tell that by looking at someone. And also, the fact that half of you seem to measure up someone's value based on their weight shows exactly what kind of person you probably are, and none of it is terrible good.
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by bonzothemonkey August 24, 2011 9:39 AM EDT
This verges on stunning if true. But that picture of the morbidly obese man jogging isn't doing much to convince me. Twentyfive years ago I knew a fellow triathloner who was heavy and still able to perform but I never could get over thinking that if he'd only drop 50 pounds it would be a much safer activity.
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by Bojax39 August 17, 2011 6:33 AM EDT
"Obesity police busted? Study says fat folks can be healthy"

But most aren't.

It might be possible to weigh 300 pounds and live to 90. There are some people who can smoke like a stack, drink like a fish and live on salty lard for 50 years with no ill effects too. But just how likely is it that you or I are one of these folks?

NOT VERY.

If you're on the heavy side maybe it's better to drop some weight, eat better and exercise if you can. And of course cutting back on the booze and dropping tobacco completely is probably best.

Might not help, but it couldn't hurt. :-)
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by rodwally August 16, 2011 4:53 PM EDT
"The researcher found that the mortality rate of fat people who had no or only minor obesity-related health problems (such as high blood pressure or diabetes) was no higher than that of lean people."

But most fat people do have high blood pressure, and many have type 2 diabetes. So what the researcher is really saying is that there are a few people who can be fat and still remain healthy. But not many.
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by jjborn September 8, 2011 6:46 PM EDT
Exactly! I'm glad someone else picked up on that. The data appears only to include those who are at low risk for cardiovascular disease. To put the data in context, the reader should ask, "Of overweight people, how many have these indicators?" then "Of non-overweight people, how many have these indicators?"
by PatDaddy67 August 16, 2011 11:15 AM EDT
I'm just a BIG SOB! The fact that my shoulders (not my gut) hang half way into the next seat on an airplane is not my fault. Blame the airlines for sizing the seats for 140 lb people so they can pack us all in like sardines to maximize profit.
Reply to this comment
by formrusmcsgt August 16, 2011 11:10 AM EDT
I find it downright incomprehensible that there are those who defend gluttony.

Astounding.

Their synapses must be clogged with lard is all I can figure....
Reply to this comment
by formrusmcsgt August 16, 2011 11:05 AM EDT
by PR_in_Alabama August 16, 2011 10:29 AM EDT
This problem is costing the TAX Payers BIG money in health issues...
----
And it wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn that it's the driver behind 2/3 of the Viagra sales as well....
Reply to this comment
by PR_in_Alabama August 16, 2011 10:29 AM EDT
This problem is costing the TAX Payers BIG money in health issues...
Reply to this comment
by formrusmcsgt August 16, 2011 11:01 AM EDT
Sure.

"Obesity in the United States now carries the hefty price tag of $147 billion per year in direct medical costs, just over 9 percent of all medical spending, experts report."


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=8184975&page=1
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