Every week here at Boomer Broads with Attitude, we will present top news stories that relate to our generation. This segment will be aptly named “The Hot Flash!”
Great news from the Associated Press....
News I have been waiting to hear for 51 years. Being overweight won’t kill you! Milkshakes all around! Yes..a new federal study says that being 25 pounds overweight does not appear to raise your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, giving credence to all those people who have said it is possible to be “fit and fat.”
Of course, the news isn’t all hunky dory. Overweight people do have a higher chance of dying from diabetes and kidney disease and folks who are considered Obese..which would be 30 pounds or more overweight..have a higher risk of death from some cancers and heart disease.
This is the second study by the same government scientists who a couple of years back said that deaths from being too fat were overstated. We are loving these scientists. Probably fat scientists, don’t you think?
Also surprising was that overweight people were about 40 percent less likely than normal weight people to die from several other causes including emphysema and pneumonia. A little extra weight might provide "additional nutritional reserves" that could help people battle certain diseases
The age group that seemed to benefit most from a little extra padding were people aged 25-to-59.
A University of South Carolina obesity researcher is a believer. He calls the report plausible and says Americans have been whipped into a “near hysteria” by hype over the nation’s obesity epidemic. He says that while the epidemic is real, the number of deaths attributed to it has been exaggerated. Then he adds, people should focus on healthful eating and exercise and stop obsessing about carrying a few extra pounds or becoming supermodel thin.
So..just like grandma used to tell you… “Eat. You’re too skinny. Eat!” Maybe she was right!
Get Involved with a Volunteer Group Near You!
ASHOKA - Funds and supports the leaders of growing, innovative nonprofits
AMERICORPS - Network of service programs
CITIZEN SCHOOLS - Middle school apprenticeships
CITY YEAR - Yearlong full-time volunteerism
EXPERIENCE CORPS - For reading tutors 55 and older
FELLOWS/USA - Grants for Peace Corps workers
HARLEM CHILDREN'S ZONE - Helps kids at every age
JESUIT VOLUNTEER CORPS - Lay Catholic volunteer program
LEARN AND SERVE AMERICA- Integrates schoolwork with service
NEW YORK JUNIOR TENNIS LEAGUE - Tennis for underprivileged kids
PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE - Sends health professionals abroad
SENIOR CORPS - Projects for volunteers over 55
TEACH FOR AMERICA - Top grads teach in needy schools
VOICES FOR NATIONAL SERVICE - Lobbies for volunteer groups
VOLUNTEERMATCH - Pairs volunteers with nonprofits
EXECUTIVE SERVICE CORPS NEW ENGLAND - Helps nonprofits solve management problems. Also try Executive Service Corps National Network.
There you have it. The Hot Flash. Every week. The latest in boomer news as only the broads can give ya.
