Naturopathic Solutions

 The NYT’s prolific and knowledgeable health writer, Gina Kolata, pens this article on obesity which focuses on the case study of a patient, Linda M.  At 5 feet 6 inches and 170 pounds she does not yet reach the obese category by BMI but with a waist measurement of 35 inches, her doctor told her that she was in the danger zone.

The article indicates that obesity experts may differ on which measurements of obesity are best.  Exclusive reliance on BMI has long been known to be flawed because it may overstate risk to the professional athlete and understate risk to the aging, who weigh less as they lose bone density.  Surprisingly, the article does not mention the waist/hip ratio indicator, which some experts feel is the most accurate.  Measurement of the waist alone does not account for relative fitness and size. 

Linda M. was somewhat surprised that her waist measurement mattered so much and that she was at risk for obesity related health concerns like diabetes and heart disease.  In a positive note, she lost 20 pounds and several inches from her waistline.

Still as the article seems to imply, doctors seem frustrated in their attempts to treat obesity.  Lectures and health and fitness advice tend to be ignored by their patients.  Growing obesity is a huge threat to the nation’s health.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pm and is filed under Main Page. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.