Extra Weight Protective? Not So Fast

Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute report in this weeks’ Journal of the American Medical Association that being a few pounds overweight may not only be safe but protective…at least protective from an early death. But before you decide to lay back in your recliner with another bag of chips it is important to recognize several important factors. First, the study did not account for physical activity levels or dietary considerations. I suspect that the excess mortality identified in the present study, and other studies, is closely associated with physical activity levels. In other words you are better off being overweight and physically active than within the “normal weight” range and being a couch potato. Another major factor to consider is that this study was looking exclusively at mortality. However, a number of conditions associated with being overweight such as degenerative joint disease, sleep apnea, and gastro-esophageal reflux disease certainly impact a sense of well-being. Although we would all like to maximize the years in our life, there is something to be said for improving the life of one’s years. Finally, the additional health care costs that result from treating the above mentioned conditions as well as the extra diabetes and hypertension that accompany excess weight gain should be considered.