From the Centers for Disease Control:
Overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat. It may also be due to an increase in lean muscle.
That reminds me of the old “Garfield” cartoon when he says, “I’m not overweight; I’m undertall.” Nevertheless, the CDC are correct ? and it’s a distinction UNC obesity researchers should make. In fact, they ought to be embarrassed by the example the CDC use to make that distinction:
For example, professional athletes may be very lean and muscular, with very little body fat, yet they may weigh more than others of the same height. While they may qualify as “overweight” due to their large muscle mass, they are not necessarily “over fat,” regardless of BMI.
Why do I say that? Because UNC obesity researchers are out conducting research to show that “despite their status as professional athletes, a large proportion of NFL players would be classified as obese.”
Yes, of course professional would be “classified” as obese ? which is why the CDC had to issue that humorous clarification. The problem isn’t professional athletes, but the oversimplified classification system ? i.e., the “Body Mass Index” researchers currently use to calculate obesity. You’re classified as obese if you weigh too much for your height ? no matter whether you have too much fat, or too much muscle.
This is important because it shows obesity has a clinical meaning (too much fat or lean muscle) that differs critically from the public’s conception ? i.e., sloppy fat. Obesity statistics, however, are used and will be used to push specific legislative agendas to tax snack foods or fatty foods or anything else the nanny-staters and tax fiends can dream up to slap a tax on. For the public’s own good, of course. *kaff! kaff!* They only care about us.
