the obesity paradox

The irony is that as a scientist, I heard it first on NPR.  I was taking a trip to our storage unit to get out some winter coats, sweaters, gloves, and hats and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me came on.  They were cracking jokes, as usual, and cited a study that DIDN'T link obesity with early mortality.  In fact, this phenomenon has a name, "the obesity paradox" and it isn't a totally new idea.

I couldn't tell you the countless minutes of each day I spend telling myself, "we shouldn't be letting ourselves get this fat" and then eating a few more pieces of halloween candy.  The guilt and shame of being overweight is momentous due to society's expectations of beauty.  Add to that a generous helping of medical studies that link obesity to decreased life expectancy, and you get a recipe for body image demons.

I read a great book many years back called "Learning Curves" which attempted to reprogram one's thinking about self and food.  But I think the ultimate goal of the book was to get an overweight or obese person to lose weight and achieve that "Normal" weight status.  The scientific data shows that as a person ages, being in the "Normal" weight bracket isn't necessarily going to extend one's lifespan.  In fact, those who are carrying extra weight in their 60s and 70s have a boost in life expectancy compared with their peers.

And, this may sound horrible, but for me in my 30s or my husband in his 40s the probability of death is not even doubled by having a BMI of 35 (or 32, respectively).  I guess one wouldn't want to knowingly engage in behaviors that would knowingly double one's risk for death, but we do dangerous things all the time.  I don't know what it is that makes my weight go up and down, it's complicated.  I've tried using electronic devices, tracking calories, beating my body into submission to get into that "Normal" bracket.  Unfortunately, happiness is more difficult to quantify.

At least knowing about this obesity paradox is going to help me relax and ease off the self-deprication (the silent soundtrack in my mind) this Thanksgiving.  I'm going to be grateful for the health I do have and enjoy the body as is.  We're heading to Zion National Park for some hiking this weekend and I have no doubt my body will perform.  Maybe the extra fat will come in handy with the winter weather we're having right now.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_paradox

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/why-being-overweight-means-you-live-longer-the-way-scientists-twist-the-facts-10158229.html

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleID=1555137&%E2%80%9D

http://www.nature.com/news/the-big-fat-truth-1.13039

http://www.npr.org/2015/11/21/456922659/whos-bill-this-time