Is weight a good predictor of health?

I have always heard that it's better to be 'fit and fat' rather than 'thin and sedentary'.  However, we also know that being overweight is not healthy and does increase the risk for medical conditions....so what's the truth?  I think we still don't know.

 Last week a report came out from the Archives of Internal Medicine which researched whether or not there is a correlation between overweight, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.  The researchers investigated over 5000 individuals who were examined and filled out questionairres for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 1999 and 2004.  What they found was that over 51 percent of those who were considered overweight and 31.7 percent of those who are considered obese had normal cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and other measures of labs linked to heart disease. 

The researchers noted that you can be obese and be healthy.  They also examined the area of the body where these people carry their extra fat.  Thirty six percent of those who had waist circumfrences in the 'danger zone' for heart disease, didn't have any abnormal blood tests. 

Does this mean that being overweight or obese is healthy?  No, it just tells us that we can have normal indicators for heart disease risk.  It doesn't tell us about all of the other medical conditions associated with obesity such as joint problems.  It also doesn't tell us anything about the subject's physical fitness levels.  If someone is overweight, it means that they have to carry more weight to do any type of physical fitness and puts more stress on the body. 

One thing we have to keep in mind.  Research is valuable, and we learn so much from it, however, sometimes we need more information than what the media is telling us.