Thinner Is Always Better
Being fat is bad for you, while slimmer people are happier and healthier. Everyone knows that.
Just ask Jamie Oliver, who this week revealed that he’d shed two stone by cutting back on meat and consuming a “rainbow” of vegetables. He’s in better shape than any food-obsessed father-of-four has any right to be, and he can’t stop smiling.
On the flip side, there are currently more headlines about how the NHS is groaning under the weight of Britain’s obesity epidemic than most of us have had hot dinners.
And yet, every once in a while, along comes a snippet of research which proclaims that being bulky carries a hidden and entirely unexpected health boon.
Several studies of the recent past have suggested that adiposity is, if not the solution to some of our most damaging bodily disorders and conditions, certainly a surprising benefit. From arthritis to premature ejaculation, the asserted health boosts are numerous.
So stock up on the pork pies, loosen your gastric band and prepare yourself for the five most surprising health benefits of being overweight. Just remember to take them all with a pinch (or several tablespoons) of salt. Not to mention sugar, alcohol and hydrogenated fats.
1. Being overweight carries a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis
Today heralds the news that the higher your Body Mass Index (BMI), the lower your chances of developing chronic arthritis. Curiously, the research – published in a journal named Rheumatology – identifies this particular perk of plumpness as being limited to the male of the species, condemning women to a life of both stiff joints and irredeemable podginess.
“To our knowledge, this is the first nested case-control study to investigate this issue in men,” said Carl Turesson, lead author of the study and professor of Medicine at Lund University in Sweden. The professor surveyed 383 patients, and found from the data gathered that overweight and obese men were up to 63 per cent less likely to develop the musculoskeletal disorder.
Today heralds the news that the higher your Body Mass Index (BMI), the lower your chances of developing chronic arthritis. Curiously, the research – published in a journal named Rheumatology – identifies this particular perk of plumpness as being limited to the male of the species, condemning women to a life of both stiff joints and irredeemable podginess.
“To our knowledge, this is the first nested case-control study to investigate this issue in men,” said Carl Turesson, lead author of the study and professor of Medicine at Lund University in Sweden. The professor surveyed 383 patients, and found from the data gathered that overweight and obese men were up to 63 per cent less likely to develop the musculoskeletal disorder.
Turesson believes that excess visceral fat in the abdomen is what helps to combats the condition, and that despite the common belief that added bulk increases pressure on joints, added weight can actually help prevent arthritis. The study uncovered a connection between high BMI readings and an excess of specific hormones; where metabolic pathways related to the adipose tissue create a protective barrier against the onset of the condition.
So, if your knees and knuckles begin to develop pains, make sure you eat your dessert. For, if you want to take this study at face value; the answer to aches could be cakes.
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