Fraser, who has written extensively on health issues, says there is growing evidence that being overweight is not as big a health risk as we used to think. For instance, the Cooper Institute For Aerobics Research in Dallas found that the biggest factor in determining how long someone lives is not how much they weigh, but how much they exercise. Their study showed that men who were thin but unfit had three times the rate of early death as men who were fat but fit. Still, many insist that being overweight is dangerous. Yet, the long-standing gospel about fat is changing.
Scientists say a more relevant health indicator is body shape.
Joanne Ikeda is a nutrition educator at UC Berkeley. The much more important thing is that people maintain a healthy lifestyle because that is what is going to reduce their risk of disease. Of course, no one says morbid obesity is safe, but nor is morbid thinness. The key is finding the healthy balance for your own body. All rights reserved.