Obesity Paradox - Science Re-examines Assumptions on Body Fat and Disease

An increasing amount of scientific data is starting to pile up showing that the current paradigm of “thin equals fit” doesn’t work.

Here at "Fresh Off the Couch" we are working to educate people that Fitness cannot be measured by size, but better measured by strength, endurance and flexibility.  In fact, in some major studies, people considered in the 'overweight' to 'moderately obese' categories fare better then those in the 'normal weight' category.


A recent NY Times article entitled, The Obesity Paradox: Thinner May Mean Sicker, took a closer look at the 'Obesity Paradox'.  What is the Obesity Paradox,  you might ask?  Author Harriet Brown explains while talking about diseases normally associated Obesity.  For example,   "Obesity is the primary risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, yet sizable numbers of normal-weight people also develop the disease. Why?

In research conducted to answer that question, Dr. Carnethon (a diabetes researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University) discovered something even more puzzling: Diabetes patients of normal weight are twice as likely to die as those who are overweight or obese. That finding makes diabetes the latest example of a medical phenomenon that mystifies scientists. They call it the obesity paradox. In study after study, overweight and moderately obese patients with certain chronic diseases often live longer and fare better than normal-weight patients with the same ailments. The accumulation of evidence is inspiring some experts to re-examine long-held assumptions about the association between body fat and disease."

Why does popular culture keep perpetuating the incorrect idea that "thin equals fit"? It may be because the diet industry takes in $50 billion dollar a year and perpetuating that idea is highly profitable.

  What does the obesity paradox mean to most of us? The answer is good news!  Stop thinking about losing weight and reframe the ideal to becoming an active person which is much easier goal. To become an active person and have that build fitness simply means,  30 minutes of activity each day for your body to work optimally.  That 30 minutes counts for any activity, so pick something you love, like walking your dog, or dancing or playing tennis. -MF

 NY times research section " In ‘Obesity Paradox,’ Thinner May Mean Sicker"
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/health/research/more-data-suggests-fitness-matters-more-than-weight.html