[quote=AN][quote=CA renter]We need to focus on health, not appearance. There are plenty of skinny, malnourished, unhealthy people out there; and there are plenty of “overweight” people who will never have a serious health complication in their lives. I’ve known plenty of both.[/quote]
No one is saying that we should focus on appearance and not health. But, are you really arguing that on average a fat person (not even morbidly obese) are more healthy than a person who are not overweight (we’re not talking about anorexic or bulimic people here)? We’re talking about average here and not exceptions. Go ahead and ask any health care professionals about the various risks that comes with being overweight. If you don’t believe said healthcare professional, here’s what the government(National Heart Lung and Blood Institute) have to say about the health risks of overweight and obesity: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks.html
So yes, there are healthy non-overweight people who have bad luck and have health problems. However, on average, overweight people are more likely to have health problem.
I can easily use your logic to defend smoking as well. I know some people who have been smoking since they were teenagers and currently are still very healthy. Does that mean smoking have no risk?[/quote]
It’s not necessary for *me* to make this argument. There have been numerous studies that show this already (from my post above):
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.
People who are overweight also tend to live longer than those who are “normal” weight.
IMHO, it has more to do with *lifestyle,* in general, than with being mildly/moderately overweight. You can be overweight but get lots of moderate exercise and eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. You can be “normal” or underweight but get very little exercise and eat mostly crap like McDonalds and processed foods. And then, there’s the genetic factor — the most important factor of all as far as health is concerned, IMHO, and it also largely determines what size and shape you are and how your body uses or stores calories.
