Friday, September 12, 2008
Studies Reveal That Being Overweight Doesn’t Mean You’re Unhealthy!
If you’re overweight, does it mean you’re unhealthy? According to some medical research - apparently not! A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine goes on to compare weight and cardiovascular risk factors in a sample of 5,400 adults.
- They found that half of the overweight people were metabolically healthy (which means having healthy levels of “good” cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose).
- A third of the obese people in the study also turned out to be metabolically healthy!
- On the other hand, one out of four slim people in the study showed at least two cardiovascular risk factors associated with obesity!
Obesity is actually tied up with a host of health problems. And researchers found the percentage of metabolically healthy overweight and obese people quite surprising.
According to several studies, how a person performs on a treadmill is a more accurate indication of health than body mass index. There are research indications that show that people who are fat, but are able to do well on treadmill tests, have lesser heart risks than people who are slim yet unfit.
Dr. Mercola Adds That Growing Acceptance of Heavier Body Types May Be Good But…
Dr. Mercola emphasizes that there isn’t any uniform ideal weight. What may be the right weight for you may not be the right weight for another. But carrying excess weight will ultimately put you at risk for every chronic degenerative disease, so the concept that you may be overweight or obese and still healthy may make you less vigilant about your health.
Having said that, Dr. Mercola goes on to clarify that “obesity itself is not the underlying cause of any health problem, it is merely a symptom” The root causes are an unhealthy diet and a lack of exercise which will ultimately result in increased insulin and leptin levels. And along with emotional challenges all of us inevitably experience, you may find yourself at an unhealthy weight, and health challenges can eventually arise from there.
Factors That Contribute to Obesity
Two-thirds of the American Population is already overweight. This is due to factors that are an offshoot of modern life:
- Unhealthy diet
- Lack of exercise
- Increased emotional challenges
If this trend continues, it is highly probable that every American adult will be overweight by 2048!
Although surveys have shown that American perceptions have changed and there is a greater acceptance of heavier body types, which is a positive development, Dr. Mercola believes it is too soon to accept it as a “new healthy norm” If we embrace this concept fully, we might add to a nationwide health crisis as excess weight can be attributed to so many chronic and debilitating diseases that might have been easily avoided.
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