Obesity Not A Death Sentence, Say Docs

New ranking system finds that not all obese people are created equal.

Good news, fat people! It turns out that being clinically obese (i.e., with a body mass index of 30 or higher) doesn't necessarily mean your life will be cut short, and that it's possible to lead an otherwise healthy life even if you're a few pounds overweight. Two Canadian studies using the new Edmonton Obesity Staging System, which breaks down the severity of a patient's obesity on a scale of zero to four, found obese people without other underlying health problems (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.) faced the same risk of dying as their less corpulent counterparts. The studies add to a growing body (har har) of research that suggests weight and BMI paint an incomplete picture of a person's overall health. The researchers say the staging system could help doctors figure out which patients face the gravest risks and tailor treatment programs accordingly. For the less dangerously obese people out there, snack on! (Healthily, of course.)