In The News: Overweight = Healthy?

Want to create a web of confusion and misunderstandings? Allow the media to report on a controversial scientific study, sit back, and enjoy the ensuing hijinks.

Today's New York Times reports on a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association which concluded that overweight people have lower death rates than their obese, "normal weight", and underweight counterparts.

"Some who studied the relation between weight and health said the nation might want to reconsider what are ideal weights," reads one excerpt.

Many media outlets are giving this a rather troubling spin, rhetorically asking if people should worry about losing those extra five or ten pounds.

I have several concerns with this study.

Firstly, the study used body-mass index rates to determine what category participants fell into. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, BMI is a number acquired by inputting your weight and height into a formula. A BMI between 25 and 29.9, for instance, is considered "overweight".

One very limiting factor of this calculation is that fat and muscle mass are seen as equals. So, a sedentary 5'7" male with little muscle tone weighing 180 pounds has the same BMI as a muscular, athletic male of the same height and weight.

However, these two men have very different health profiles. The sedentary male has a higher risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and atherosclerosis than his muscular counterpart.

For all we know, the "overweight" people (with high BMIs) in this study were athletic people with high muscle mass levels.

Additionally, I hope it is not news to anyone that being underweight is not healthy. Falling below your ideal weight compromises your immune system, raises your risk of osteoporosis, and is linked to low consumption of vital nutrients.

Lastly, this article exemplifies why it is problematic to equate our weight with our health. There are many people who do not consume excessive calories (and, therefore, do not gain weight), but do not make nutritious choices.

It is certainly possible for someone to fall into the "normal weight" category while shunning fruits, vegetables, and whole grain and not gain weight. Meanwhile, an athletic person with healthy eating patterns can be considered "overweight".

Let's not complicate matters further. If you are sedentary, ten pounds overweight and eat mostly processed foods, do not kid yourself into believing that you are healthier than your friend who eats healthy and is at a "normal weight".

Extreme circumstances not withstanding, the WAY you eat is more important than what you WEIGH.

Instead of obsessing over the scale, eat close to nature, limit processed foods, include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet, make most of your grains whole, and pay attention to portion sizes.