Obesity Today

Jenny stands 5’2” but tips the scale at 180 pounds.  Run these numbers through the body mass index (BMI) and Jenny scores higher than 35.  Anything 25 or above is overweight and anything 30 or above is obese.  In the fight against obesity-related health conditions, Jenny should be a casualty.  But her blood pressure is often as low as 100/70 and her cholesterol and blood sugar are normal.  And while most people exercise grudgingly, Jenny never misses a day, walking 15 to 30 kilometers a week.  So, is it okay to be obese?

A much publicized study in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April 2005 seemed to say “yes”.  The study concluded that overweight people lived slightly longer than lean people.  Does this study give us a reason to forego the gym and binge on french fries?  Can overweight or obese people eat as much fat as they want without being bothered by the effects of the excess pounds on their health?  The answer is a resounding “no”.  This study does suggest that mildly overweight people need not feel any strong pressure to lose weight provided they are in good health, consuming a nutritious diet, engaging in regular exercise and not gaining added pounds.  But the obese are in danger of having shorter and unhealthy lives.