Is Being Fat Bad For You?

For nearly four decades, Americans have heard a simple story about health, longevity and obesity. This week, we learn it's a little more complicated. Thanks to Katherine Flegal, Paul Campos, Jeff Hunger and Jason Salemi for helping us research and fact-check this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on Patreon Donate on PayPal Get Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and more Links! Katherine Flegal’s “The obesity wars and the education of a researcher” Walter Willett's " Evidence does not support benefit of being overweight on mortality" Flegal’s 2005 paper Flegal’s 2013 article Willett’s 2016 meta-analysis The infamous 2004 CDC paper Fat: A Cultural History of Obesity Paul Campos's "The Obesity Myth" Walter Willett’s Food Fight The obesity research that blew up Flawed methods and inappropriate conclusions for health policy on overweight and obesity: The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analysis Does Body Mass Index Adequately Convey a Patient’s Mortality Risk? The Weight of Medical Authority: The Making and Unmaking of Knowledge in the Obesity Epidemic Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? Commentary: On ‘public health aspects of weight control’ Obesity And Its Relation To Health And Disease Does Being Overweight Really Reduce Mortality? Individual and Aggregate Years-of-life-lost Associated With Overweight and Obesity Support the show