After years of being advised to eat healthy, get exercise and reduce our weight, along comes a scientific study conducted for all of us who’ve been fattening up like grizzly bears ready for hibernation feel just a little better about ourselves.
The study, which came out last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that carrying a few extra pounds may not be catastrophic to your health and can actually protect you against some diseases.
While being overweight can contribute to things like diabetes and kidney disease, it may not have any correlation with heart disease or cancer. (That’s not the case, however, for people who are obese.)
Some health experts instantly disputed the new findings. Others supported it. Still others couldn’t comment, their mouths filled with chicken wings.
I found the findings to be fantastic news as I crammed my face into a platter of cookies (visual evidence at left) that one of my coworkers brought in – all in the name of health, of course.
Granted, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a new study that claims to have all the answers to all our health questions. Picking and choosing which study to believe just because you want to keep doing the things you’re already doing isn’t necessarily a sound health strategy.
And really, just because you might be OK with a few extra pounds doesn’t mean you’d be better off without that additional weight. Besides, in a couple more days another study will come along discounting the previous one, and we’ll be freaking out about the five pounds we gained after believing heart and soul in the previous study.
Until then, however, I’ve got a plate of nachos calling my name. I think I can still fit a couple more pounds under my belt.
--Scott Samples
3 comments:
Of course, I couldn't let this blog go without a comment! Without having read the study, I want to say that our HealthyLIFE weight management programs don't have a "one size fits all" approach, but rather, a whole-person approach in finding a comfortable weight for each individual. We definitely don't use "guilt" as motivation and can agree at the outset that it is better to be a few pounds overweight and healthy than underweight or even at suggested weight and still use tobacco, or are a heavy drinker, etc. How were those nachos Scott? You know where to find us!
Lani Kee
Manager, Center for Health and Healing, Martin Memorial
The nachos were lovely. I may need you to save me a space in the next weight-loss class.
I can't believe those big paws could only hold so few cookies! They must have been slippery...
Post a Comment