Weight Propaganda
3rd January 2013
David Friedman takes a look at the Crustian Narrative.
A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that being overweight, as defined by body mass index, may be good for you—that people in the recommended BMI range are more likely to die (“all cause mortality”) than people whose weight classifies them as overweight but not obese. What I found most interesting about the news coverage of the article was the reaction reported—people quoted as criticizing the article without offering any good reason to think it was wrong.
My, what a surprise! Aren’t you surprised? I’m sure surprised.