It's once again time for New Year's resolutions—the time of year when we solemnly vow to eat right, exercise, save more than we spend, and be nicer to the people around us (at least for a few days). Fortunately, the editors at the Journal of the American Medical Association were nice enough to provide us with a New Year's resolution holiday gift: a newstudy that says it's not so bad to be a bit overweight, as long you're in goodshape.
This study, led by Xuemei Sui of the University of South Carolina, followed 2,600 people over the age of 60 for an average of 12 years. The authors looked at overall fitness (measured by treadmill testing), body mass index (BMI), and other measurements such as waist circumference and body-fat percentage. They then investigated which of these was most important in predicting survival.
What they found struck a blow for common ...
