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Getting to the bottom of a headline-making discovery.


By Melinda Wenner Moyer


When a report in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" found that being overweight lowered a person's risk of dying from any cause by 6 percent, we did a double take. After all, if there's one piece of advice you can count on your doctor to give, it's "watch your weight." And it's been drilled into us that when the needle on the scale creeps up, so does the risk for chronic diseases like cancer and type 2 diabetes. But after analyzing 97 studies involving nearly three million adults, the study authors, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that having a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 (the range defined as overweight) may extend your life span. What to make of this? We got the skinny:


Body fat may have a protective quality if you're sick.

Among people of all shapes and sizes suffering from the same health issues (such as diabetes or heart disease), those who are overweight seem to fare better. According to a study in "Mayo Clinic Proceedings," normal and underweight heart disease patients with a low percentage of body fat were more than four times as likely to die from the disease as overweight patients over the course of three years. The reason may be twofold: Some of the hormones released by fat can have anti-inflammatory properties that fight disease, and fat tissue may provide greater energy reserves to aid recovery. "When you're sick, your body may require more energy to heal properly," says CDC scientist and study coauthor Brian Kit, MD. "To some extent, extra fat can provide a crucial boost so you can bounce back faster."


The "overweight" label may not be accurate.

Though BMI is the standard by which many doctors classify patients, it is increasingly viewed as a flawed standard because it relates weight only to height. "BMI is a useful measure, but it's imperfect," says CDC researcher and lead study author Katherine Flegal, PhD. One major imperfection: BMI doesn't account for fat distribution. So while studies credit fat with potentially having a protective effect, it depends on where that fat is stored -- belly fat, for instance, has been associated with heart disease and diabetes.


The more you weigh, the better medical care you'll receive.

"If you compare obese people with hypertension and thinner people with hypertension, you'll find that more of the obese people are prescribed medication for it," says Kit. A study in "The American Journal of Cardiology" theorizes that doctors are more likely to aggressively treat their heavier patients because excess weight is such a visible risk factor for heart disease. On the flip side, that same bias may delay medical care for thinner people.


Living longer may not mean living better.

A separate CDC study showed that the heavier the person, the more likely she is to be on prescription drugs for certain chronic ailments. While medication can increase longevity, the findings didn't look at the price paid in quality of life -- and that's ultimately a cost worth weighing.


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  • You Can Be Fat And Fit


    For people with osteoporosis, a few extra pounds may actually be beneficial. "The more stress you put on bones, the more they grow, so someone who weighs more will have denser bones," <a href="http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-11-2011/carrying-few-extra-pounds-may-be-healthy.html" target="_hplink">says Timothy Church, M.D., professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA.</a> "That's an advantage as we grow older and lose one to two percent of muscle a year." Another plus to a little body fat is that it provides "volume replacement," filling in wrinkles and sunken areas of the face to provide a more youthful appearance.




  • Coffee Is Good For You


    Although excessive coffee consumption is associated with cardiovascular problems like increased heart rate or blood pressure, moderate coffee drinking has been shown to have several health benefits. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/coffee-health-benefits_n_1064577.html#s440659&title=Coffee_Could_Lower" target="_hplink">A recent Harvard study reported</a> that women who drank coffee in moderation were less likely to suffer from depression than women who drank no coffee at all. In addition, caffeine has been shown to help fight Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.




  • Red Wine Helps The Heart


    The combination of alcohol and antioxidants in red wine <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-wine/HB00089" target="_hplink">helps prevent heart disease</a> by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and has been shown to protect against artery damage. While doctors have long been wary of advising patients to consume alcohol, most agree on the heart-healthy benefits of drinking red wine in moderation, so have a glass!




  • Walking Is Just As Good For You As Running


    While it's true that walking doesn't burn calories as quickly as running, a study published in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-feigin-ms-cscs/walking-vs-running-which-is-better_b_926819.html" target="_hplink">Journal of the American Medical Association</a> found that brisk walking is very effective for reducing deep abdominal fat, the most dangerous kind of fat. Running may burn twice the calories per minute as walking, but if you quit after 5 minutes because you can't breathe or your knees feel like they're about to explode, what's the point? Walking is an especially effective weight-loss activity because it's so easily adaptable to your fitness level.




  • Chocolate Fights Heart Disease


    According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, dark chocolate - not milk chocolate or white chocolate - is a potent antioxidant capable of fighting free radicals and other destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments. If you eat dark chocolate for the health benefits however, be sure to balance out the high sugar intake with other healthier foods.




  • Sex Burns Nearly 180 Calories Per Hour


    "Sex is a great mode of exercise," <a href="http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-sex" target="_hplink">says Patti Britton, PhD</a>, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound.




  • Gin Reduces Menstrual Bloating


    Juniper berries, the active ingredient in dry gin, is a diuretic, and <a href="http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/How-to-use-alcohol-as-medication-Health-Advice" target="_hplink">has been shown to relieve menstrual bloating</a>, gas and cramping. An ounce or two of warm gin should put cramping-related discomfort at bay for most women. But if you do try this remedy, don't drive!




  • Beer Makes You Smarter


    A study published by <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15659724" target="_hplink">the National Center for Biotechnology Information</a> found that moderate beer drinkers who consumed less that 15.0 g of alcohol per day (about one drink) had better average cognitive scores than non-drinkers. Researchers pointed out that alcohol raises HDL cholesterol (that's the good cholesterol), which is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and better cognitive functioning.




  • Unrequited Love Can Be Cured?


    While scientists may not have yet figured out how to make individuals fall in love, <a href="http://www.usa-health-center.com/_love_could_be_cured.asp" target="_hplink">researchers at the University of Alabama and Tabriz Medical University in Iran</a> found that melatonin and vasotocin might just cure love sickness. Some researchers believe love is a specific emotion which works through parts of the brain, and that the brain chemical dopamine is heavily involved. The theory is that the introduction of the anti-dopamine hormones melatonin and vasotocin could make result in people falling out of love.