It's true and it seems to be the latest trend in the world of nutrition and medicine...
"Recently, researchers from the CDC and
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) caused
waves in the medical community with a report
analyzing the death records of 37,000 adults.
Although obese folks had a greater risk of dying
from cancer or heart disease, those who were simply
overweight had, surprisingly, no greater risk than
normal-weight people. Even more amazing, the
findings suggested that being overweight may actually
protect against death from a multitude of diseases other
than cancer and heart disease. The research made
headlines ("Is That Spare Tire a Lifesaver?"). Critics quickly
responded that the study failed to consider quality-of-life
issues caused by excess pounds and didn't appropriately
control for unhealthy habits like smoking, which can keep people
lean but undeniably raise cancer risk. Still, it added fuel
to the ongoing debate of whether losing weight is absolutely
necessary to reduce disease risk if you're not obese. "
The moral of the story: focus on improving your health and not into fitting in your "skinny jeans."
* On a side note today is National Chocolate Covered Insect Day... that is one food holiday I will not participate in!