Study casts doubts on link between weight, health

A new University of Michigan study found that 51 percent of overweight adults, or about 36 million, have normal blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar (Source: “Study says overweight adults can be healthy,” AP/Akron Beacon-Journal, Aug. 12, 2008).

Also, almost one-third of obese adults, or about 20 million people, had either none or only one of those measures that was considered in the abnormal range. At the same time, about a quarter, or 16 million, adults in the recommended-weight range had unhealthy levels on at least two measures.

The new study appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

In 2005, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio published a report exploring the debate between researchers, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who consider obesity a national health epidemic and others who argue that the health risks associated with being overweight or obese are exaggerated.