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 PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!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 paperFlegal’s 2013 articleWillett’s 2016 meta-analysisThe infamous 2004 CDC paperFat: A Cultural History of ObesityPaul Campos's "The Obesity Myth"Walter Willett’s Food Fight           The obesity research that blew upFlawed methods and inappropriate conclusions for health policy on overweight and obesity: The Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analysisDoes Body Mass Index Adequately Convey a Patient’s Mortality Risk?The Weight of Medical Authority: The Making and Unmaking of Knowledge in the Obesity EpidemicObesity: An Overblown Epidemic? Commentary: On ‘public health aspects of weight control’Obesity And Its Relation To Health And DiseaseDoes Being Overweight Really Reduce Mortality?Individual and Aggregate Years-of-life-lost Associated With Overweight and ObesitySupport the show