Chubby and Healthy

If you always thought chubby thighs were an indicator of poor health, then you may want to rethink your logic. That’s because a recent study shows quite a few skinny folks have health issues that typically go hand-in-hand with obesity.
 
The findings don't claim that being obese is healthy. What the research did find, however, is that weight is not necessarily a trustworthy indicator of health. Instead, blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and height are also necessary in order to properly gauge cardiovascular health.
 
Researchers found thin people generally had healthier metabolisms than overweight or obese participants. But being a skinny-minnie did not always indicate total health. More than 24% of thin adults—about 16 million people—had unhealthy risk factors.
 
Then again, about half of the overweight people displayed two or more of the risk factors. Still, half of them boasted a healthy metabolism, and one out of three obese participants was metabolically in shape. Of course, fit versus fat is still the better health option. But when gauging overall health, body size is definitely not the best determination.
 
The verdict: Thin people should be concerned with total health, too, because weight is not always going to point you down the path of life-long fitness.
 
Want to trim your figure? Sign up for 30 days of losing weight email tips today! [The New York Times]