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Back in April, I asked you all if you’d rather be fit or thin. A lot of the responses suggested that they would rather be fit than thin.
Recently, I found two articles that say you better think twice about that.
The first article from CNN.com suggests that exercise can reduce a woman’s chances of developing obesity related health problems, but not eliminate them. Earlier research waffled between whether exercise or weight control better reduced a woman’s chances of developing heart disease.
According to the study,
Compared with normal-weight active women, the risk for developing heart disease was 54 percent higher in overweight active women and 87 percent higher in obese active women. By contrast, it was 88 percent higher in overweight inactive women; and 2½ times greater in obese inactive women.
Clearly, exercise helps avoid heart disease, but your best chances are to be active and to have a healthy weight and it looks like the latter might be a bit more important.
The second article, found in the New York Times on May 13, which summarized another Harvard study, was even more clear about how important it is to be thin. According to it, the larger your waist size, the “higher [your] risk for heart attack, cancer, diabetes, dementia and even incontinence.”
The researchers at Harvard say that how much you weigh isn’t as important as where you carry your weight.
Studies suggest that health risks begin to increase when a woman’s waist reaches 31.5 inches and her risk jumps substantially once her waist expands to 35 inches or more. For men, risk starts to climb at 37 inches, but it becomes a bigger worry once their waists reach or exceed 40 inches.
But why does it matter where you carry your weight? People with larger waists tend to have fatty deposits around their hearts, livers, and muscles; they also tend to have other problems like insulin resistance and high cholesterol.
I’m sure there will be other studies soon that contradict these. But for now, I think I better start paying attention to losing some more weight.
J.D.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Dan // May 20, 2008 at 8:08 am
The recent articles on calorie restricted diets and longevity also provide evidence of thin vs. fit. Neither is bad, but it looks like that trim waist is pretty important.
I definitely need to get rid of my belly fat, but would like to accomplish it through both diet and exercise. Some of the stuff you read about the calorie restricting people doesn’t sound like fun! Avoiding physical activity so they don’t eat more?? That’s just not right.
2 Red // May 20, 2008 at 8:49 am
Yeah, I figure most health studies will be reversed within my lifetime, but they’re good motivators while they’re current.
3 Andrew is getting fit // May 20, 2008 at 10:18 am
I say go for both!
4 Wiley // May 20, 2008 at 10:19 am
It is impossible to be both overweight and fit at the same time. The two are mutually exclusive. Being fit implies that you weigh the proper amount for your body. You can however be thin and not fit at the same time. I would much rather be fit than just thin. Fitness is about being healthy overall instead of just being focused on weighing a certain amount.
5 Angie // May 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Wow..interesting…thanks!
6 The real Mr. Funk // May 20, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Oh cummon, this is the worst kind of misuse of statistics. For 99% of the population, you can’t really be fit without being a healthy weight. You sure as *hell* can be a very unhealthy skinny person though, so people choose “fit” when you ask “which would you like”.
How many of the fat people with all these health problems are also fit? I can imagine it’s nowhere near statistically significant, making the conclusion that you may wish to choose thin over fit rather disingenuous.
7 MizFit // May 21, 2008 at 8:15 am
I have to echo andrews comment…or at least strive for it.
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