I don't think it's particularly true that "obesity is protective against several kinds of diseases". It's more accurate to say that "obesity will delay the effects of many kinds of wasting processes". If you get terminal cancer, obesity will delay your death. The same benefits accrue from being muscular, with less fat.
There are a few diseases of women against which obesity is protective; but the risk of death and harm from cardiovascular disease greatly outweighs these protective benefits if diet & lifestyle issues are not addressed.
Weight-cycling is utterly, utterly dangerous- but that fact does not refute anything that I have said.
Nor do most people "pick out obesity as a stronger risk factor than any other risk factor"- most people will still pick out strong family history, smoking, history of major concurrent illness such as diabetes and hypertension, etc., etc. to be more important than mild to moderate obesity.
Be careful that you do not take the low-lying outliers as representing standard of practise. The truth is not to be found in the shrill proclaimers of either the obesity-haters or the obesity-defenders. It's somewhere in the rational middle.
For what it's worth, obesity is the focus of Yet Another Stupid Cultural War in America. I'd hate to be even mildly plump in the U.S- things are much more measured here in the Caribbean. Plus-size people in America have reason to be defensive, in my opinion.
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Date: 2007-02-07 07:52 pm (UTC)I don't think it's particularly true that "obesity is protective against several kinds of diseases". It's more accurate to say that "obesity will delay the effects of many kinds of wasting processes". If you get terminal cancer, obesity will delay your death. The same benefits accrue from being muscular, with less fat.
There are a few diseases of women against which obesity is protective; but the risk of death and harm from cardiovascular disease greatly outweighs these protective benefits if diet & lifestyle issues are not addressed.
Weight-cycling is utterly, utterly dangerous- but that fact does not refute anything that I have said.
Nor do most people "pick out obesity as a stronger risk factor than any other risk factor"- most people will still pick out strong family history, smoking, history of major concurrent illness such as diabetes and hypertension, etc., etc. to be more important than mild to moderate obesity.
Be careful that you do not take the low-lying outliers as representing standard of practise. The truth is not to be found in the shrill proclaimers of either the obesity-haters or the obesity-defenders. It's somewhere in the rational middle.
For what it's worth, obesity is the focus of Yet Another Stupid Cultural War in America. I'd hate to be even mildly plump in the U.S- things are much more measured here in the Caribbean. Plus-size people in America have reason to be defensive, in my opinion.
It still doesn't help, though.