U of A study rewrites the book on obesity

New research from the University of Alberta shows some obese people are as healthy as and have no higher risk of death than their thinner counterparts.
Some may not even benefit from losing weight - including a significant number who are defined as morbidly obese - since research shows yo-yo weight loss can be harmful,
who worked with colleagues to create the Edmonton Obesity Staging System. It predicts people's health based not only on their body mass index - the traditional measure based on height and weight - but on their mental health, other medical issues they may have such as diabetes or sleep apnea, and how their obesity affects their physical abilities.The system grades people on a fivepoint scale, where obese people who eat regular servings of vegetables and fruit, are physically active and have no associated health problems are at Stage 0. As their health deteriorates and they begin to have underlying issues related to their weight, such as borderline hypertension or signs of pre-diabetes and heart problems, their stage increases. People with sleep apnea, diabetes and osteoarthritis, which may require a knee or hip replacement would be at Stage 2 or 3, with Stage 4 being the most severe, marked by irreversible organ damage that may require kidney dialysis or by other disabilities.
In one study published in Monday's Canadian Medical Association Journal, Sharma looked at data from two U.S. health and nutrition surveys of 8,143 people.
The research team determined that two per cent of obese and overweight people with scores of 0 or 1 on the Edmonton obesity system died during followup, compared to 40 per cent of Stage 3 patients.
In another study published in the research journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, researchers from York University used the Edmonton staging system to compare the risk of death over 16 years between 6,000 obese Americans and 23,000 people at normal weights.
The obese who suffered from no or few related health issues had the same risk of dying as the slim people.

"They eat healthily. They're physically fit. They feel good about themselves. They don't have high blood pressure. They don't have high cholesterol levels. They don't have diabetes. They have none of those health problems and so the question is: Why would you treat these people? Why don't you ask them to just stay as healthy as they are?"
His research challenges the assumption that overweight people need to lose weight.
"The surprising result of our study is that there are obese people, and actually quite a few of them, who do not have health problems related to excess weight and that we should not be focusing on providing treatment for those people because they don't need themSome diets, for instance, are expensive and don't work forever. Bariatric surgery is also costly and there is the risk of complication
These patients shouldn't be ignored, Sharma said, but should be encouraged to see their doctors regularly, eat more healthy food and exercise regularly to ensure they don't gain weight and lose their healthy status.
But resources and policy-makers should be focused on the obese population who are sick.
not important,"We're notthat obesity is not a health problemsomething that is going to really have a huge impact on the healthcare system."one in five adults is considered clinically obese.All we'reyou should not base decisions or allocate resources to obesity treatment just based on how big patients are,actually have to look at how sick patients are and that's what the Edmonton Obesity Staging System gives you an answer for."
"I grew up with family members who were always
'You're too big, you're too big,'" said Zaporozan, whose weight once reached 224 pounds. She also experienced bone fractures in her feet, since she works in retail and is standing more than eight hours a day.
Today, she's 209 pounds, and as part of Alberta Health Services' Weight Wise program under Sharma, she hasn't kept track of her body mass index, which is likely still over 30. Instead, she is now trying to attain a rate of 0 under Sharma's staging system. Because she has minor aches and pains, some sleep problems and lack of energy, she is currently at Stage 1.

whose goal is to eat more healthily. She often skips meals when life becomes stressful, pushing her body into hibernation mode where she packs on the pounds.
She no longer strives for a lean body shape.
"You're made how you are
As long as you're healthy, as long as your heart is working, you could be a heathy size 14, and that's OK. And you can be a healthy size 2, and that's OK."