Half of overweight adults may be heart-healthy

[Missy Vixen]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080812/ap_on_he_me/med_healthy_obesity

>CHICAGO - You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people — about half — have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed.

The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher.

"We're really talking about taking a look with a very different lens" at weight and health risks, Sowers said.<

To say I found the above interesting is an understatement. I might also mention that every doctor I've ever had has marveled at my blood pressure and cholesterol levels. At the same time, I'd like more stamina, so I'm back to the gym. It would be nice if health insurance companies would cover gym memberships as part of their benefits packages.

The comments about the BMI not being seen as the be-all, end-all later in the article are eye-opening as well.

Julie

[CoffeeCat]

1. It's all frickin genetics!!

How many stories have we heard about athletes dying from a blockage...then you
see a 500 lb man scooting around Walmart on a Rascal--who will live to be 85?

It's all genetics.

How efficiently your body metabolizes and processes junk, is the key to heart health.

Either you've got the good genes, or you don't. Your diet and exercise and certainly
enhance your position--or move you downward on the continuum, but I'm convinced that
genetics is the biggest factor in heart health.

[notadmblnd]

3. In my husbands case he had abnormally small arteries

he was into lifting weights. 6ft 155 not an ounce of fat, cholesterol way over 300. Had his first bypass at 42. Dead in his sleep at 54.

[DemBones DemBones]

11. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure the surgery gave you more years

together but 54 is still awfully young. Very sad.

[Odin2005]

16. Damn, that sucks.

I knew some who was the same way, he was a big muscular guy that was a friend of my dad. He was an amazing athlete in high school back in the late 60s and early 70s. He was diagnosed with heart disease in 1993 after a heart attack, and then died in 2003 after his 3rd heart attack. :-(

[Missy Vixen]

23. So, if this is "genetics",

wouldn't some of the fat police finally admit that people are the way they are, it's predetermined, and the shaming and demonization of the fat is nothing more than bigotry because of their appearance?

Julie

[Scout]

37. good luck, never happen with some of the fat police

they will never admit it's not just about will power.

[Missy Vixen]

48. Perhaps it's evil

but every time I read one of them bitching out the less fortunate, I imagine the effect karma will have on them.

Julie

[Individualist]

29. Absolutely!

I'm skinny as a rail and have heart disease which I inherited from my father's side of the family (father died of heart attack at age 59).

My mother, on the other hand, was overweight and loved fatty, greasy foods (which I avoided). It was so frustrating that my cholesterol level was always high and hers was perfectly normal.

[natrat]

50. cigarettes, booze , red meat and cocaine trump genetics every time

[Missy Vixen]

52. I'll respond to that

I do eat red meat, but I drink little, I've never smoked anything, and I don't use illicit substances.

Julie

[Clark2008]

64. You forgot pre-packaged foods, high fructose corn syrup

and hidden sugars.

Heck, Europeans out-drink and out-smoke us and they live healthier lives than Americans because they walk more and eat less pre-packaged and sugared crap.

I buy the genetics argument for some people (I have pre-diabetes which has given my high tryclerites, but my HDLs and LDLs are fine), but most over-weight people in America (the key word here is America) simply eat too many McDonalds or pre-packaged grocery foods and don't get enough exercise. It's our lifestyle.

The Fat Police, however, are no better than the Smoking Police.

[flamingdem]

2. Good now where is that Haagen Daaz

since I'm probably one of the lucky ones.

[MonteLukast]

62. Haagen Dazs is natural...

... I think you are in better luck if you eat organic, natural, or non-GMO ice cream.

And one of the richest desserts I've ever eaten was the vegan chocolate parfait from Whole Foods.

[dysfunctional press]

4. i'm about 12% above the ideal weight for my age

but if i use my original height, i get 5lbs. closer. i used to be 6'3", but the arthritic condition in my spine has brought me down to barely 6'1".

other than that, my blood pressure is very good(although- i'm one of those people who is generally much calmer at the dr.'s office), my cholesteral is o.k.- it could be better, but i'm 47.5 years old and not on any statin meds yet, and i AM improving my overall diet(thanks in no small part to Breyer's for downsizing their container yet again- to a quart-and-a-half...and by doing so have crossed a line in the cream that cannot be tolerated. i refuse on principle to buy their shrunken offerings, and have expressed that sentiment to them in no uncertain terms, to which they responded by sending me a coupon for one free carton -which i've already used; and i've finally fished out the last of the 1.75 quart cartons that were floating around the back of my grocer's freezer. thank god for lazy stockboys. but now it's a couple more pieces of fruit/day instead of bowls of ice cream.) but i digress...there is some history of heart trouble on my mom's side- grandmother and uncle both died from it at relatively early ages, but they were each also bordering on morbidly obese. my dad's side has a history of colon cancer- my dad's older brother and sister (by over 12 years each) both succumbed to it.
so i just smoke/vaporize lots of pot and hope for the best.

[DemBones DemBones]

9. You really should try

Tofutti, which is ice cream made from soy, great tasting, no cholesterol or fat! It comes in small containers and isn't cheap but it's so good a small amount is satisfying. Several good flavors. I'd never go back to ice cream. Really.


My cholesterol wasn't high, just borderline once (it was the end of summer and I'd been eating a lot of ice cream.) I told my doctor I'd gone vegetarian two days earlier so it would come down.

It dropped 60 points in six weeks when I gave up meat and most dairy products, which surprised him, it dropping that much.

Tofutti brand "Better than Cream Cheese" is really good but most cheese substitutes are just not like cheese so I do eat cheese, also eggs and occasionally fish, meaning I'm a pisco-vegetarian. I lost 45-50 pounds in three months without cutting back on how much I ate or doing anything special. I could lose more if I gave up cheese, but so far I haven't done that.

[dysfunctional press]

21. i'd rather have fruit. soy products aren't for me...except the sauce.

i try to stick to a "hunter-gatherer" type of diet with as much mediterranean influence as i can manage- those ancient greeks lived into their 90's without much in the way of "modern" medicine...they were doing something right(i just hope it wasn't the small boys...but those catholic priests sure seem to last awhile too.). when the condition i have(ankylosing spondylitis) really starts to flare up, i have to cut starches out of my diet COMPLETELY- no pasta, rice, breads, potatoes etc., and only fresh, uncooked vegetables- when you cook veggies, it softens the cellulose and allows the human digestive to get at the starches inside...uncooked, the starches mostly remain in the cellulose that passes through un-digested. i also avoid "root" vegetables when i'm flaring up- as a general rule, the farther you get from the root of a plant, the fewer starches you're going to encounter.
i also try to limit my red meat intake to 4-5 meals per week(including lunches) with plenty of fish and poultry throughout the week.

[AllieB]

27. My diet is Paleo-ish. Whole foods only.

Nothing processed. Soy is highly processed, and many people have sensitivities to it. Fermented soy products are supposed to be better and more easily digested.

You may find this link interesting. Gluten sensitivity is a suspect in many autoimmune diseases:

http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/

Since you feel better when you give up starches, have you been tested for gluten intolerance/celiac disease?

[jakem]

30. Whole Foods diet...

you mean you only eat it if it costs you $80 per bag when you go shopping?

[AllieB]

31. Haha. No.

I meant whole foods (veggies, fruits, meats). Whole Foods is a rip off for sure. I shop mostly at a food coop near work and Trader Joes.

[RadiationTherapy]

32. THREAD HIJACK *BOOM*

Avatar the Last Airbender had an amazing finish. I was so pleased with it. It is one of the best cartoons front to back EVER!!

[jakem]

49. thread hijack continued...

TOTALLY!!!

but we want more episodes, and are in denial about it being over.

[dysfunctional press]

33. we eat very very few processed foods- almost everything has modified food starch in it...

and that stuff is some of the worst for me. we end up doing a lot of whole foods as well. a couple years ago we moved from the big city to a place in the sticks- we've got a little over an acre now, so we're able to have a HUGH garden. it's great, and the veggies taste SO much better when they're that fresh.

i was screened for celiac disease awhile back and it came back negative...thanks for the thoughts. :hi:

[girl gone mad]

5. Duh.

I eat about the same amount of calories as my best friend, yet I'm a skinny mini with a bmi at the zero percentile and she's about 150 lbs "overweight".

I think there should be more emphasis on being fit for your size, less on trying to conform to some ideal weight. Diversity is a survival strategy for our species. Tall, short, thin, fat, average.. each thrive under different conditions, ensuring humans will survive anything short of all-out nuclear holocaust.

[Odin2005]

17. I know people who eat like pigs yet are still thin as a stick.

Many people on my dad's side of the family are like that.

[undergroundpanther]

6. Finally!! Someone admits this!!

I am one of those heart healthy fat people.
No elevated cholesterol,no sugar issues.

[Skittles]

10. I have long suspected

being overweight can be healthier than someone starving themselves to keep thin, or constantly yo-yo dieting - yes INDEED

[Scout]

38. you are 100% correct. it's better to be fat than to yo-yo diet. n/t

[ccharles000]

13. Hi panther.

[undergroundpanther]

56. Meow!

Back at cha!
Howya doin? Ok I hope.

[meowomon]

7. Genetics

My whole family is "fat" by the standards, but there are no heart attacks or strokes except for one uncle who was a heavy crack cocaine abuser.

My dad is 75 this year, 230# and takes no prescriptions for anything. His BP is normal and so is his blood work. I am 46 and luckily I take after him. I am overweight and sedentary. My total cholesterol is 179 with a really good HDL/LDL ratio. My BP is around 106/68 most of the time. We both have type "B" laid back personalities too.

[Hannah Bell]

8. there are different varieties of high cholesterol (& low)

a couple of types = really high cholesterol but you'll never have heart problems...

& most people who have heart attacks have normal cholesterol...

& if you're past 6o, low cholesterol is a better predictor of death or illness than high...

i sometimes think folks would be better off just living their lives than obessing over diet...MS Nutrition, but I gave up on the field when I decided much of it was hyped to sell drugs & foods...& to produce self-obsession...


Eat relatively low on the food chain, not too much, & reasonable variety - unless you've got allergies or something like pku, that's pretty much all the advice you need...

[Rhythm]

12. I just underwent a zillion tests last month, and according to the docs

I am quite possibly the healthiest person they have ever seen.

Resting heart rate of 58bpm
Chemically stress-tested heart that they couldn't get above 125bpm
Resting BP of 117/75
Stress-tested BP of 138/92
Cholesterol count of 148 ("bad" count of 78)
All of my other tests came back from normal to excellent.

I'm 50+lbs overweight, due to a love of cooking and good food.

I walk daily over the steeply rolling hills of WV; I have terrific stamina, and my only real health complaint is a bit of chronic bursitis in my right foot, a by-product of an injury a few years ago that IMHO was undertreated at the time it occurred.

[Odin2005]

18. My vitals look very similar!

I actually can sometimes have an issue with my blood pressure being too LOW!

[MrsBrady]

14. i recently

went to a new gyno for my yearly you-know-what that I hadn't had in a while.
She gave me a little bit of talking to about my weight, but I told her that I had just had my physical, and all the blood work came back not just good, but better than good.
Cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, he checked for lots of stuff. Every thing came back normal or better.

So anyway. I am 5'3" and 200lbs, and she had the DR send the physical stuff over so she could take a look at it, but also not to duplicate any tests so that the insurance company would pay, etc.
I don't think she believed me though.

Any way, I'm healthier than my husband who is 6'2", normal weight. He has all kinds of issues that I won't go into now.

But - he eats crappy food, and I don't. That just proves you can't go by weight.

I eat lots of veggies and try to eat more chicken than beef. I do eat fast food, but try to keep it to a minimum (i won't set foot in McD's). I get salad from Jack in the Box quite a bit, but don't use much of the salad dressing (loaded with fat it is). I started taking vitamins (wont' go through the whole list here) on a regular basis last year. I didn't feel bad before, but an eczema-like condition on my right-thumb and behind my ear are GONE! And I do feel better over-all.

I just started Karate a few months ago. I am pretty sedentary. Having fun so far.

[Odin2005]

19. Don't forget that you ladies have estrogen protecting your hearts...

While us guys have testosterone ruining ours! :yoiks:

[Odin2005]

15. I'm in this category.

I'm a big guy (290lbs) and my blood pressure and cholesterol are just fine, as are a lot of people on my mom's side of the family. I'm actually no couch-potato, I'm quite active compared to the typical obese person, and I'm more like a sumo wrestler istead the stereotypical lazy fat guy. My big problem is simply my appitite, what I eat is pretty healthy (I make awesome stir-frys), not a lot of junk food, the problem is that I eat too much of it!

[pleah]

20. K&R What happened to all the fat police?

This has been know for years, but it seems to me that most people have forgotten that you can be healthy at any size. To many people want to control others by any means possible these days.

Glad they came out with another study on this.

[Missy Vixen]

22. The diet industry rakes in $33 billion a year

Somebody's getting rich off this stuff.

Julie

[pleah]

28. You betcha!

[RebelOne]

24. I am not overweight, but I have high blood pressure

and high cholesterol and am pre-diabetic. My doctor said to blame it on my mother, who also had the same health problems and was not overweight either.

[seabeyond]

25. this is such a real DUH. but we have open season on smokers and fat people

being rude, ugle, mean, degrading, as horrible as a person can be is encourage..... of course for the recipients sake. for their own good. so embrace the lyin statistic and hold on to them tight.... well it feeds all the other areas we want to be able to go after people and be encourage to be as ugly as possible like hate libs, kil libs and so much more.

but people would rather hold onto their petty judgments to hate these people outloud and in the open with no repercussion

[suston96]

26. I stumbled on a truly scientific way of telling if you have problems......

What is your waist size? What should it be?

Look up those numbers and except in those rare genetic cases, if they are right most of your other numbers will be "nominal" (as the astronauts used to say.

[SoCalDem]

34. Jim Fixx.. n/t

[Scout]

35. thanks JulieRB ... this is not surprising to me, but still appreciated

i am one of those people ... according to my BMI i am morbidly obese ... yet i lift weights, walk, swim and i have good blood pressure and excellent cholesterol.

i know lots of "skinny" people who have crappy cholesterol, they smoke, they are totally inactive, yet since they "look" healthy, no one bugs them. they even eat FAST FOOD! oh the horror, oh the humanity!

[MonteLukast]

60. Don't look just at their skinny bodies.

How about their complexions?

One of the biggest reasons I severely reduced fast food/junk food was because what eating it did to my skin. In fact, sometimes when I eat a particularly greasy meal I can feel the oil oozing through my pores and oil and dead skin cells piling up on my face. Disgusting. x( Better to avoid that crap.

[trudyco]

36. I thought it had to do with how you handle stress and your fitness

But I do think there is a correlation between weight and cancer.


Or is that a myth, too?

I do know that weight tends to make your bones denser so there is a plus.

[Evoman]

39. Now it would be interesting to see the percentage of skinny people that are heart healthy.

(Used to be a skinny guy....then gained about 30 or so pounds of muscle from hitting the gym that put me over my BMI. Now, lost most of it and am neither skinny nor fat. Cholesteral awesome. I have terrible lung capacity though, mostly due to an abnormality of my chest--slight case of pectus excavatum).

[skooooo]

41. George Carlin was skinny... nt

[Evoman]

42. Yeah, I know. But he is just one guy. There are a lot of healthy skinny people too.

That's why a STUDY would be interesting.

[muriel_volestrangler]

65. About three quarters, I think

From the article:

In the study, about 51 percent of overweight adults, or roughly 36 million people nationwide, had mostly normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol, blood fats called triglycerides and blood sugar.

Almost one-third of obese adults, or nearly 20 million people, also were in this healthy range, meaning that none or only one of those measures was abnormal.

Yet about a fourth of adults in the recommended-weight range had unhealthy levels of at least two of these measures. That means some 16 million of them are at risk for heart problems.

It's not definite, but I read that as 'healthy' = 'none or only one of those measures was abnormal' in all 3 paragraphs - 'mostly normal' in the 1st, and 'less than two' in the final one.

On edit: yeah, here's the paper abstract - just the 2 categories:

Methods The prevalence and correlates of combined body mass index (normal weight, <25.0; overweight, 25.0-29.9; and obese, ≥30.0 ) and cardiometabolic groups (metabolically healthy, 0 or 1 cardiometabolic abnormalities; and metabolically abnormal, ≥2 cardiometabolic abnormalities) were assessed in a cross-sectional sample of 5440 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1999-2004. Cardiometabolic abnormalities included elevated blood pressure; elevated levels of triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, and C-reactive protein; elevated homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance value; and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level.

Results Among US adults 20 years and older, 23.5% (approximately 16.3 million adults) of normal-weight adults were metabolically abnormal, whereas 51.3% (approximately 35.9 million adults) of overweight adults and 31.7% (approximately 19.5 million adults) of obese adults were metabolically healthy. The independent correlates of clustering of cardiometabolic abnormalities among normal-weight individuals were older age, lower physical activity levels, and larger waist circumference. The independent correlates of 0 or 1 cardiometabolic abnormalities among overweight and obese individuals were younger age, non-Hispanic black race/ethnicity, higher physical activity levels, and smaller waist circumference.

http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/168/15/1617

[AlCzervik]

40. after losing 90 pounds my blood pressure was still high.

anyhow i finally decided to stop eating meat because i didn't want to go on medication so i figured i'd try no meat for a while, to be honest my meat problem was bacon related. Since cutting out bacon and meat my blood pressure is finally in the healthy range.

My friend Tilly is overweight and all her numbers are good, really good. I think a lot is genetic but when i was 90 pounds heavier i felt pretty bad physically, after losing 90 i felt much better but after going vegetarian i finally feel good. This is not an endorsement for being a vegetarian, just sharing my own experience.

[Evoman]

43. Actually, that's a very good endorsement for being vegetarian.

I've tried to do it a couple of times, but I always fail.

[AlCzervik]

44. i thought i wouldn't be able to do it, my swine problem was epic but after a few

days i didn't miss it. Anyhow it may not be forever you know, right now it's working for me so i'll just keep going.

[Evoman]

45. My problem is the protein. Need lots or I feel like shit.

And I can get enough from beans and lentils and stuff like that, but it gives me massive...uh..intestinal methane-related problems, if you get my drift.

[AlCzervik]

46. yup, i understand. Maybe a gradual change would make it possible.

not all at once.

[Evoman]

47. Maybe...I always try to do it cold-turkey and all at once. Thank you for your advice.

[natrat]

51. the substitute meat products taste surprisingly similar to the real thing

but too much soy is not so good either---grandma was right basic foods and a healthy marriage....

[notadmblnd]

53. the morningtar brand veggie burgers are pretty good

but I recently bought trader joe's brand veggie masala burgers. they're nothing like a hamburger. They're great if you like potato pancakes though.

[AlCzervik]

54. i just bought a package of those on Saturday, i haven't had one yet but i think

i will tomorrow for lunch.

[notadmblnd]

55. I like them on flatbread

try them on pita or tortilla.

[MonteLukast]

61. Tempeh bacon is interesting and quite tasty. (nm)

[undergroundpanther]

57. my body won't digest beans lentils etc.

Enough to GET the proteins out of them because my body just hates most kinds of beans..Soy & non refried beans just goes right through after about ten to 20 minutes same with milk and some kinds of cheese.So I have been advised to get my protein from animal sources,as in meat..
So I do that,and if I don't get enough protein I feel like shit too. Almost flu-like.

I can eat refried beans without them running through but refried beans ain't enough and I'd get pretty sick of them if that was the main source of protein for me.

I eat mostly meat and veggies together,a little bit of pasta,or bread once in awhile.My docs say I eat really healthy.They can't understand why I weigh as I do, they suspects genetics plays a part.I was told I have alot of muscle mass under the fat.
And that seems true I am pretty strong and I have very broad shoulders.
But my cholesterol is not elevated. My sugar/insulin isn't out of whack, Nor do I seem to have any of those other bad health indicators people claim comes with obesity found in me.And I am over 40. Go figure. Fat and healthy,whodathunkit?

[Quantess]

58. It all depends on whether you smoke. And if you exercise.

If you're overweight and you smoke, nice knowin' ya.

If you are only one of the above, then you're doing fine, but you really could do better for your body.

If you're normal weight, don't smoke, AND you exercise, you already look and feel 10 years younger than the rest.

[MonteLukast]

59. Total body fat percentage is a far better predictor of obesity-related illness than BMI. (nm)

[eridani]

63. Not really

High blood pressure correlates far more strongly with lean body mass than with fat mass.