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Adventurer
Joined: 28 Jan 2006
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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:27 am Post subject: Half of overweight adults may be heart-healthy |
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Half of overweight adults may be heart-healthy By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer
1 hour, 1 minute ago
CHICAGO - You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people � about half � have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.
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The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed.
The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher.
"We're really talking about taking a look with a very different lens" at weight and health risks, Sowers said.
In the study, about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides and blood sugar.
SUSPECTEDTHAT |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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I watched a programme a few weeks ago - a Jamie Oliver special. Where they got a load of people and a few medical experts. They got a mordidly obese guy, an obese guy, and a borderline overweight guy and put them on a treadmill. The fittest was the obese guy, followed by the middle-aged hefty (but not jelly-like) morbidly obese guy. The most unfit was the smallest (andy youngest) guy. It turned out that he was in the worst shape, and that he (though looking in fairly good shape) had a fatty liver (not normally seen in a guy as young as him - 23 years old). He also had a high percentage of body fat.
I read a study some time ago that suggested that a fat person who exercises regularly is likely to outlive a thin person who doesn't.
I also read another study that suggests that once you are elderly, being slightly overweight is an advantage.
My mum is overweight (probably medically obese), and as strong and fit as an ox.
It's all far more complicated than people seem to think. |
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nateium
Joined: 21 Aug 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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| In the study, about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides and blood sugar. |
Only half? 
What about other vital organs? Joints?
The study still shows the general trend of health deterioration as you move from the normal to overweight to obese range. |
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Fresh Prince
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Location: The glorious nation of Korea
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Yet about a fourth of adults in the recommended-weight range had unhealthy levels of at least two of these measures. |
So about 25% of people in the recommended weight range have problems.
| Quote: |
| In the study, about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels... |
So about 50% of overweight people have problems.
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| Almost one-third of obese adults, or nearly 20 million people, also were in this healthy range,... |
So about 66% of obese people have problems.
So if I'm reading this correctly, someone in the recommended weight category has a 1/4 chance of having problems, while someone in the overweight category has about double (2 times) the chance of having problems compared to someone in the recommended weight category.
Someone in the obese category has about 2 2/3 times the chance of having a problem compared to someone in the recommended weight category, but only 2/3 times (not quite double) the chance of having a problem compared to someone in the overweight category.
I'll bet the half of the overweight category having problems was at the higher end of the overweight category, while the half that wasn't having problems was at the lower end of the overweight category. |
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nateium
Joined: 21 Aug 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject: |
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The study also only focused on a few limited areas relating to health.
It's a strange way to present the information. It's like saying "95% of heavy smokers don't have lung cancer." Of course!
A better question is what percentage of overweight and obese people will develope health problem relative to the people in the normal range? Over what period of time is this likely to happen?
How long have these people been overweight/obese?
What percent of that health 50%/33% will develop problems 5 years from now? 10 years from now? How does that compare to the people with a normal BMI?
BB is right though in that is a complicated issue, and exercise helps everyone in every category. |
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