Weighty Study Shakes Up Body Image

John Tierney, in today’s New York Times, writes a delightful column on
the truly paridigm-shifting study showing that the moderately overweight
live longer than those of "normal" weight, who in turn live longer
than the excessively thin.

Should this be proven out by subsequent studies, it
has profound implications on our whole culture and civilization.  We
will certainly be hearing a lot more about this one. After a clever and
concise review of the facts of the study….

For those of us lacking six-pack abs, this week’s report that the overweight
live longer is the greatest medical news in history. The authors of this
study deserve a Nobel, not just for medicine, but for peace, too.

Tierney explores some of the more fascinating implications of this
discovery…..

George Armelagos, an anthropologist at Emory University,
calls this shift the King Henry VIII and Oprah Winfrey Effect. In Tudor
England, it took hundreds of gardeners, farmers, hunters and butchers
to keep Henry VIII fat. In America today, anyone can bulk up without
help, but it takes a new set of vassals – personal trainer, nutritionist,
private chef – to keep Oprah from looking like Henry VIII.

We will certainly be keeping an eye on this one

from the New
York Times Op-Ed page