The Statistical Dangers of Being Overweight
News Sensationalism Strikes Again!
Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites
Are you a statistic? Were you personally asked?
It's official;whether we are overweight or not, we are a statistic. I don't know about you, but I wasn't asked. Still, I'm a statistic. You are also a statistic.
One in three Americans is obese - that's according to just ONE recent study. Still, I wasn't asked. Were you?
It's maddening, news sensationalism on every corner. Let's examine the madness by addressing some very basic questions of our own.
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1. Can individuals who are within their normal weight range get cancer?
2. Can individuals who are within their normal weight range get diabetes?
3. Can individuals who are within their normal weight range have heart problems?
4. Can individuals who are within their normal weight range have high cholesterol?
The answer to all of these questions is 'yes'.
Hereditary highly influences all of the above, as does personal habits.
Does weight? Perhaps - but to what degree? Many studies would like us to think that obesity is responsible for all of our ills.
However, that's just not the case.
For example, if diabetes runs in your family, by keeping fit you may avoid an encounter. Still, there are many individuals who are fit and thin, yet have diabetes.
These 'polls' or 'studies' in which overweight individuals are graded against their thin counterparts, may be entertaining information, but they certainly shouldn't be set in stone.
For example, to get an accurate analysis, the group participants would have to mirror an identical lifestyle, identical habits, have identical heredity - including ethnic origin.
In addition, their forefathers would need to mirror these same factors. It's impossible. Therefore, the end result is a collection of educated guesses - at best!
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Does this mean that we should ignore weight studies?
Weight studies should be taken at face value. Though weight studies can lend strength to the belief that one is better off thin than fat, they cannot forecast YOUR longevity.
Most of the time, they erupt terror and fear within the heart of anyone experiencing a weight dilemma. Just look at the following story to see how quickly things can be blown out of proportion.
Let's say that Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty are participating in an overweight analysis. Fred and Barney are overweight. Wilma and Betty are within their acceptable weight guidelines. This is what we have so far:
Four Participants - Half are overweight - so 2 out of every 4 cave people are overweight.
One year passes and Ugh and Thug move into Bedrock. Both are overweight, so obesity has doubled within the last year in the town of Bedrock. Gasp! That's just two more people, however the numbers have greatly increased!
One day, Fred has a heart attack while he's working at the Rock Quarry. The survey now indicates that if you are obese, you are more likely to have a heart attack than if you are normal weight.
But did Fred have the heart attack because he was obese?
Or was it because he inherited his grandfather's bad heart genes? Or, was it all that dust from the years he'd spent working at the rock quarry? Perhaps it was a combination of things?
By the way, Fred made a swift recovery.
A few months later, Ugh suffers a heart attack - probably due to the stress of the recently released weight study.
Again, the risk numbers are raised and everyone is convinced that being overweight brought on Fred's and Ugh's heart attacks.
Then something very strange happens. Thin little Betty has a heart attack. Now what?
Bottom line; eat healthy, and exercise to help increase your odds for the healthy life.
If you are battling with weight loss, remember that no one truly can predict anyone's odds in life.
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