Fat good?

jonward85

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/recipe-for-a-long-life-overweight-people-have-lower-death-risk-8434743.html

Ok..I've got a hard time buying the direct correlation here. Thought i would post and let the masses discuss.

jonward85

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Firefox7275

Be careful getting reviews of published papers/ health information from newspapers. Ether check out the meta analysis itself or find a summary in a better quality publication. By 'severely obese' I assume they mean morbidly and super morbidly obese, perhaps The Independent journalists will start renaming other medical conditions, it does get boring using standardised names every day!! I suspect most healthcare professionals would not be too keen on 'mildly obese' when they are telling their patients to lose five to ten rungs on the BMI scale. 25-30 is 'only' clinically overweight (not obese) which I don't think has been linked with significantly premature death, so the only surprise to you should be for the clinically obese, BMI 30-35.


"The results are published in the respected Journal of the American Medical Association, which also published the earlier study. They show only the severely obese, with a body mass index above 35, have a significantly increased mortality, up by 29 per cent ....

Mortality [the death rate] is one thing but morbidity [the disease rate] is another. If people read this and decide they are not going to die [from overeating] they may find themselves lifelong dependents on medical treatment for problems affecting the heart, liver, kidney and pancreas – to name only a few.

Dr Flegal herself stressed that findings are not a licence to eat cream cakes. "We were only looking at mortality – not health.

... "It may also be that the health risks of being overweight are declining with advances in medicine. Drug treatments to lower blood pressure and cholesterol have contributed to a dramatic fall in heart disease deaths. Fitness, too, may be more important than fatness. People who are overweight, smoke, eat junk food and take no exercise are heading for an early grave."

Pookylou

"but after one of the largest reviews of research ever conducted, doctors say that carrying a few extra pounds may actually reduce the risk of premature death. Experts have repeatedly warned that obesity would soon exact a greater toll than smoking and the current generation could be the first to die before their parents."

There is a huge difference between a few extra pounds and obesity!

TavistockToad

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20889381

jonward85

I'm glad my skepticism is agreed with. My thought was more along the lines of...accidents happen while your outside...but if all you do is sit in front of your tv...not much can go wrong....doesn't mean it's the right thing.