According to the media, if everyone isn't at or near their "correct" weight they are in danger of getting any number of diseases and suffering dire consequences. As a result of this hype, people spend billions trying to shed pounds, and lawsuits have been filed against certain fast food chains, claiming people themselves aren't to blame for gaining weight; manipulative corporations are. And that makes for more headlines. The drumbeat to lose weight goes on. What is the truth?
Recent studies, as cited in such highly respected publications as Scientific AmericanMagazine, suggests a somewhat different story. The bottom line is that everyone doesn’t have to look like they just walked out of a Hollywood casting office. It’s actually OK to carry a few extra pounds and that trying to shed them to get down to an unrealistic weight might be harmful.
Weight And Prosperity
Now we’re not talking here about morbid obesity where a person is overweight by 100 pounds or more. But those extra pounds on your hips, thighs or tummy may not be so bad. In fact, in earlier times if a person was too skinny it was thought that he wasn’t prosperous. For example, if you wanted to become the Mayor of a small town in Europe you actually had to have a little more girth than usual because it showed that you obviously were successful in business – you could afford to eat well. And take Luciano Pavarotti for example, what well-respected opera singer cares about being thin?
An Epidemic?
However, medical studies persist, predicting that a person may lose up to five years off a normal life span due to the overweight epidemic. Yes, many are calling this an “epidemic.” But there apparently is another side to this issue. As a result a flurry of new books are now out, confronting what the authors condemn as a bunch of overblown claims – many made just to enhance careers, increase business, and get lucrative government grants. And, the government seems to be eagerly complicit. For example the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claims the current overweight epidemic is more serious than any previous ones. Really? The flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919 killed an estimated 40 million people worldwide, including 675,000 in the U.S.
The Right BMI?
One doctor claims that people are actually being forced to maintain an unrealistic weight. Dr. Paul F. Compos of the University of Colorado says that because of genetics, for many people it is virtually impossible to attain a normal government sanctioned BMI or Body Mass Index (the so-called ideal height to weight ratio). So, is there any data to back up claims on either side?