In the interest of a little balance..".Being skinny is no guarantee of a healthy heart"

[Skidmore]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26143255/ns/health-heart_health/

CHICAGO — You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy.

A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people — about half — have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed.

The results also show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even "less voluptuous" people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity, said study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher.

more..

[meegbear]

1. You are correct, oh great one ...

my BIL's sister's husband all his life was thin as a rail and runs everyday. He had a heart attack a couple years ago. He would eat a lot of rich fatty food and "run it off", but it caught up with him.

He eats a lot healthier now.

[The Straight Story]

2. Here's how it will work:

Someone is over weight. They die. Dr lists part of the cause on weight - with no evidence to back it up at all - and that then becomes a statistic (and considered proof by many).

They do the same with smoking. You could die from a million different causes but if up smoke it will generally be listed as contributing to your death, without one test to back it up.

Dr's do the same thing for the living. Go to the Dr, are overweight, your problems are now - in their mind- tied to weight (which may mean they look into things less because they already made up their mind on the cause).

You can have a ton of the studies like the one you mentioned, peer reviewed or not, but it won't matter :)

[Skidmore]

3. The same appears to be true for some here on DU...

overweight people are to blame for the weather today.

[Brickbat]

7. Yup. I'm overweight and have perfect blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I eat well, exercise

regularly, and enjoy vigorous activities like canoeing and playing hockey. But when I go to the doctor because a back injury I got 20 years ago (when I was a perfect weight) is acting up, it must be The Fat that's causing it. ARGH!

[laundry_queen]

8. omg, the same with me.

Actually, I'm obese. My cholesterol is perfect. My blood pressure is on the low side. I've had knee problems since high school (when I was skinny). Every doctor has told me to lose weight and it will be fixed. Same with my polycystic ovaries - just lose weight, eat better and exercise and you'll be cured! Every ache or pain I have my mother automatically blames on my weight. Never mind I've had a lot of these problems since I was a teen. Recently I lost a ton of weight because of the stress of going through a divorce and I had some foot pain while exercising. I was told to lose MORE weight. Funny how my foot didn't bother me 60 lbs ago.

[Bettie]

10. I almost died from being fat....well, from doctors seeing I was fat!

I was in the hospital after having my 3rd son. I wasn't feeling well and told them that. I said I was having trouble breathing and was lightheaded. They informed me that my blood pressure was fine. DH argued with them that it was really high for me at 138/80.

They sent me home.

I went to the ER a few days later because I was having "clouds" in my vision and seeing bright lights and still couldn't breathe.

They said that due to my weight, I had congestive heart failure. My blood pressure was still within "normal" range, but for me, it was scary-high (I usually run about 100/50). They checked me for all the weight related stuff and checked that I wasn't on drugs.

They sent me home with a diuretic and told me to exercise more and eat less as soon as I was up and around more from my c-section.

The next morning, I woke up with visual problems and lost half my field of vision in both eyes. I was also seeing bright lights that were not there.

DH gave me a cup of coffee and some ibuprofen and sent me to lie down, he figured I had a migraine.

Then, he came in to find me in a seizure. You see, I had post-partum ecclampsia and was actually very ill indeed.

The ER doctors couldn't see past my fat and did not listen to me when I told them my BP was high for me.

Later, my OB told me that this is a complication that happens sometimes and that it wasn't related to my weight at all.

But, I did almost die from being fat because medical professionals see fat, they make assumptions and don't look beyond them.
(Edited because I forgot to spell check)

[Brickbat]

11. That is so scary -- and sadly, not a surprise.

I'm sorry you had to go through that. What a fucking nightmare!

I went to see a doctor once, not my regular doctor, because I was having scary heart palpitations and heart racing at night. He figured it was some kind of heart problem and I had to wear a Dick Cheney-like heart monitor for a week. I was 30! WTF? So then when I finally got to see my regular doctor because of some depression I was having, she was like, DUH, that's an ANXIETY ATTACK you're having, NOT a heart problem!

She was great. She was the same doctor who, when I came in with unexplained VERY high blood pressure, told me I could stand to lose 10 pounds (which we both knew) but that she didn't think that's what was causing it. Turns out it was sleep apnea, which was NOT related to my weight -- my jaw, sinus and soft palate are built in such a way that I was going into some severe apnea. My doc then told me, lose the weight if you want, but it's not going to make a difference with your apnea. I just have a lazy throat. Heh!

[Bettie]

12. My family doctor regularly tells me she wishes more of

her patients were as healthy as I am.

I get a sinus infection a couple of times a year and a cold or two in winter, but that is it.

DH now distrusts doctors. He says the most awful moment of his life was walking in and seeing me like that. He was afraid I'd die.

[distantearlywarning]

13. When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism

I spent an entire summer experiencing random bouts of heart arrhythmia. The doctor told me it was "normal, that many 20-something women have that sometimes, and maybe you're just experiencing some anxiety". I didn't think it was normal, and was to the point where I was feeling breathless and faint after some episodes. Lo and behold, they finally re-tested my thyroid after I bugged them enough about the subject. My meds were off, and I wasn't yet familiar enough with my condition to recognize what the problem was. As soon as I got on the right medication, I had no more arrhythmia. I realize now that it was actually a very dangerous situation and that I could have had a stroke or heart damage. Seriously, how does a doctor not think that heart arrhythmia in a new thyroid patient might possibly be due to a medication dosage problem?

Doctors really annoy me sometimes. It seems like they always want to first attribute things to either weight or mental status. Especially if you're a woman - you're not having an actual medical issue of some kind, oh no, it's because you're female, fat, and have some kind of psychological problem!

[K8-EEE]

14. Wow that is quite a story, thanks for sharing.

I can see where being 1) overweight and 2) female and 3) recent mom could be a fatal combo for prejudiced doctors. It's hormones! It's the overweight! You're imagining things! How scary. Everyone should hear this story!

[seabeyond]

4. i have always been slim and since 24 bad cholesterol levels a little high

my mom was always skinny and same with her. i concluded, genetics. our blood pressure is extremely low, though

[rfranklin]

5. From what I can read in that article, it's twice as likely you are unhealthy if overweight...

Of course, it's difficult to understand the actual statistics since they are trying to be contrary to common wisdom (which still looks to be correct.)

[Marrah_G]

6. I am very over weight

With the exception of things like movement and joints, I am otherwise healthy. No diabetes, no HBP, no high Cholest. I eat mostly very good food except when stressed out. I've been fighting for a year now to get my weight down so I can move better. Up and down the weight goes. Everyday is a challenge.

[distantearlywarning]

9. I am overweight. My husband has 16% body fat.

We eat basically the same diet (better than the average American, not perfect), and are moderately active in the same sports (fencing, weight lifting).

The doctor loves him every time he goes to the office because he's naturally predisposed to lean muscle and little fat and looks outwardly terrific for his age (40). I always get scolded by the doctor about my weight - I have hypothyroidism (supposedly properly medicated, but I still always have some mild symptoms, one of which is very difficult weight loss).

However...

He recently discovered that he has high cholesterol and slightly elevated blood sugars. Mine are both great.

In addition, my blood pressure and resting heart rate are both lower than his - also really good (average BP 110/60, BPM 60).

I think it's good that we have more life insurance on him than we do on me. My hypothyroidism gives me the metabolism of a Galapagos Tortoise. I'll probably live to 115, still pudgy, but very slowly still going strong.

I also think the world would be a much more rational and just place if we were both forced to wear a sign around our neck listing this information, so that he got judged for actually possessing the so-called "moral failings" that I get judged for daily but don't actually possess. (Not that I think high cholesterol or blood pressure are moral failings, but a lot of other people apparently do, to the point where they feel justified in harassing other people about it, under the guise of "not enabling" them, or "for their own good".)

[Scout]

15. i'm one of those healthy fat people

i'm 51, and my BP is great, my cholesterol is great, i have wonderfully dense bones, very little gray hair, when i want to be active i bicycle, ride horses, hike, play with my dogs, lift weights, swim. i recently had stroke prevention screening and that came out great too! oh, they did have to be sure to tell me that according to my BMI i am obese LOL!

i've had back trouble since i was a teen, saw docs several times over the years, had traction, physical therapy ... it might help for a while, but then the pain would come back. docs always said "well, you should lose weight."

i did end up losing 50 pounds (and i'm still "fat"), but guess what? my back still hurt. i went to a chiropractor last fall, she took x-rays, and guess what again? several of my lumbar vertebrae were twisted, and my spine slanted to the left. after about my 6th adjustment, i have not had back pain again. now i see the chiropractor once a month. i'm still fat.

i'm going to be sure to tell my doc, too....

[Maru Kitteh]

16. One of my best friends is a thin person who eats very healthy and exercises regularly. Her BP and

cholesterol are sky high.

[Sivart]

17. skinny - had the widowmaker at 32

I am skinny - always have been. At 39, I weigh 197.....I am 6'2''

I had a heart attack at age 32 - the widow maker. I flatlined in the ER right in front of my wife. Had to be zapped back. Then had emergency double bypass surgery.


Everyone, regardless of weight, should get checked out regularly.

Editing to add - I never had any symptoms at all. I was fine. When the heart attack started to hit, there was no pain.....just an unusual feeling.

next thing I new I had 7 people huddling over me asking me if i was "still with us"

[Maru Kitteh]

18. I'm so glad you made it. Everyone should knwo CPR. It should be required to graduate HS.

It would save so many lives.

Heart disease can and does happen to anyone. Have you found such a close brush with death to be a kind of blessing? It was for our neighbor who had a similar event. She's very diligent about her health now but not in a fearful way - she said it really freed something up inside of her and now she's quite the adventure woman.