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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)
Could It Be That Being Fat's Not Really So Bad Or, Mon Dieu, Good For You?
The US Surgeon General has declared an obesity epidemic. We are told that 64 percent of the adult population is overweight or obese, that being fat might account for as many as 400,000 deaths annually and that problems associated with obesity damage the economy as well as the health of the nation. Now along come a few spoilsports, some with credentials, who argue not just that obesity isn't quite as dire a crisis as the Surgeon General and others proclaim, but that being fat might just be good for people! "Only in America," as some used to say.
Paul Campos is one of the fat renegades who claims the real epidemic is the process that led to the dire obesity warnings, namely, junk science. Campos says faulty science led many experts to overstate the medical risks of obesity (see "Worth Its Weight in Debate," LA Times, 23 July, 2004.) and accuses researchers who warn of obesity risks of statistical "hanky panky."
Mr. Campos is not a doctor, researcher or food scientist--he's a lawyer teaching at the University of Colorado. He has struggled with obesity himself, which sparked his interest in the subject, its causes and significance. He has done well with the contrarian view of the topic via a book entitled The Obesity Myth. He is quoted with this: "P.T. Barnum - wherever he now may be - must be furious with the notion that he can't get in on this thing." It is not clear if he is referring to cashing in on opportunities lurking within an outrageous position, or something else related to the obesity issue.Â
Campos cites studies that support his interpretation, such as a Norwegian study of nearly two million subjects and another involving 115,195 Massachusetts nurses. Both projects showed overweight folks had a LOWER risk of death than lean subjects. Also cited in Campos' arguments is a study involving 9,228 middle-aged and elderly Israeli men. The latter indicated that people who intentionally lost weight (dieters, in other words) died sooner than those who stayed fat.Â
Of course, it is well known that dieting is a risk factor. David Williamson, a CDC epidemiologist, claims diets are hazardous because they increase the risks of heart muscle damage, as well as fractures caused by bone loss. Another variable that could explain the study outcomes cited by Campos is that many people who managed to lose weight in the studies might have been in early stages of a serious illness.
You won't be surprised to learn that scientists who study obesity issues reply to Campos and other contrarians as if they were in need of institutionalization! Some are more polite, suggesting the contrarians quibble with minor issues, misread data and/or ignore facts. Some are so rude as to mention hundreds of studies that show beyond any doubt links between obesity and high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Some studies indicate that overweight carries with it a tenfold increase in diabetes risk compared with being lean and fit. Obesity triples the dangers of coronary heart disease and endometrial cancer while doubling that from hypertension and stroke. Research has shown losing even a little weight can enable significant improvements in blood fats, blood pressure and blood sugar control.
Some have suggested that while extremely fat people have certainly become much fatter, most Americans have gained only a few excess pounds from weights typically carried by early generations. Therefore, they argue, the so-called obesity crisis is, in fact, a problem just for a relatively small number of people. Another contrarian, Glenn Gaesser, an associate professor of exercise physiology at the University of Virginia, wrote a book called Big Fat Lies in 1996, suggesting that plump is healthier because it provides energy reserves in times of sickness.
So, what to make of Campos and others and the minority report they offer on obesity. First, Campos and the rest currently taking exception to the obesity warnings are NOT the first to insist that fat's not really so bad, health-wise. They are not even the first to state or imply that fat might even be a good thing. (Even Campos does not argue that it improves your prospects of a hot date for Saturday night.) A century ago, there were "Fat Men's Clubs" and even some women, according to one report, found blubber desirable. In the latter case, "girls wore padding to mimic the voluptuous 200-pound stage star Lillian Russell." However, Miss Lillian eventually decided to diet, and before long the fat craze faded as other ways were found to demonstrate prosperity and freedom from want, two status symbols of the early 19th century.
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There are two matters about which contrarians and everyone else agree, including yours truly: 1) Diets don't work--nearly everyone can lose weight, but almost everyone regains the excess pounds in a few months and 2) Exercise does work, for everyone. It improves health, no matter what you weigh. In fact, as the Cooper Institute's Steven Blair has often reported, exercise is the single most important factor in long-term health, by far. According to Blair, "It's better to be fat and fit than be lean and unfit." The insurance of having energy reserves in times of sickness is probably not the kind of insurance you want to carry.
To summarize and answer the title question, no, fat is not good for you and yes, it IS bad. But how bad depends. It depends on lots of variables, including whether you exercise regularly and maintain a good state of fitness, whether you live a wellness lifestyle, how well you made out in the genetic lottery (genes) and whether you make an effort to always look on the bright side of life. For starters. Be well.
Domain: physicalSubdomain: nutrition
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