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Fat and fit
Professor says exercise, sensible diet can transcend weight
February 17, 1997
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Eugenia Halsey
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (CNN) -- The conventional wisdom is that it's better to be thin than fat. But a University of Virginia professor is challenging that long-held belief.
"The biggest lie is that weight tells us something meaningful about our health," said Glenn Gaesser, author of "Big Fat Lies."
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Gaesser, a skinny man himself, contends you can be fit -- and fat.
Gaesser, an exercise physiologist, says many studies show that even if you're overweight by universal standards, you can still live a long life. The key is exercise and a low-fat diet with lots of fruits, vegetables and grains.
In fact, he says, an overweight person with a healthy lifestyle could outlive a thin couch potato.
Gaesser says it isn't excess blubber that leads to heart disease and diabetes -- it's inactivity and a high fat diet.
David Burke thinks Gaesser is onto something. Even though he works out six days a week, watches his diet, and has normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, the former football player is still 50 pounds overweight, according to standard charts that match height and weight.
"I'm tired, fed up with trying to fit into somebody else's standards," Burke said. "I mean, I know how I feel. I'm extremely healthy. I feel great."
But Gaesser's critics say he's delivering a "feel good" message that could lead to a further fattening of America.
Dr. JoAnn Manson, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, says it's a rare bird who exercises and eats right regularly and doesn't eventually reach a healthier weight range.
"I think it's not very common to be truly physically fit and obese, though it is theoretically possible," said Manson, who co-authored a well-known study that found thin nurses live longer than overweight ones.
Gaesser's defenders include Dr. Reubin Andres, the clinical director of the National Institute on Aging. Andres says it's hard to know the ideal weight range is because it may vary depending on age.
In his own defense, Gaesser says he is not saying it's OK to be fat -- just that it's more important to be fit.
Related story:
- Former surgeon general wages war on obesity - October 29, 1996
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