How to be fat and healthy

Being overweight might not be as unhealthy as you thought, said Jennifer Harper in The Washington Times. A study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that more than half of overweight adults and almost a third of obese adults don’t have a high risk of diabetes or heart disease, while a quarter of people with normal-weight do.

The key seems to be where people carry their fat, said Daniel J. DeNoon in WebMD Health News. “Belly fat signals fat accumulation around the organs of the body,” and having a fatty liver elevates the risk of heart disease and other health problems. Exercise, whether you’re trim or obese, can keep that fat from growing.

The press has gone overboard touting the findings of this “fit and fat” study, said Dana Blankenhorn in ZDNet’s Healthcare blog. Yes, “youth, genetic luck and exercise can protect you from sudden heart attack, even if you’re overweight. But as you age and slow down, that fat is still bound to get you.”

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“People who want to live a long and healthy life might want to take up running,” said Maggie Fox of Reuters. Another study released Monday found that middle-aged members of a runner's club were half as likely to die over a 20-year period as people who did not run. The Stanford University researchers concluded that running reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.