Booster Shots: Active Amish put obese Americans to shame

A new scientific study reveals that being large doesn't always signify that you are in charge. Although people with the unpopular FTO gene are especially likely to become obese, they can still take charge of their weight with enough exercise. Booster Shots got the news from a study of the hardworking Amish people, who "maintain low obesity levels" despite being owners of the so-called "fat gene."   

Rick Cain provided anecdotal evidence to the contrary: "I was traveling on a train and saw some Amish people. ... The ladies were well ... very chubby."

But most readers sarcastically feigned shock at the news. 

Arlo Scott Kennedy wrote: "This is revolutionary! But it's not the only revolutionary story in the news today:
1) Working with populations in the Fjords, Norwegian scientists have discovered that climbing to a place approximately 70 to 100 feet or higher and leaping groundward, from a spot where no obstacles exist between the leaper and the ground, leads in most cases to serious injury or death." This was just the first of five "breakthroughs" that Arlo described.   

Scott Bartell thought that "Arlo's post about fake studies is funny but off target -- the real study focused on whether the effect of the FTO gene on weight is modified by exercise, not whether exercise reduces weight," which prompted Jaylike Birds to write: "ooh arlo, scott bartell just owned you bad."

simon wrote: "wow, we still need university research and articles in major news papers telling us that exercise is healthy?"

fred wrote: "Unbelievable!!  Who would EVER have guessed that a lot of hard physical work would burn calories and prevent obesity! We need MORE studies to enlighten us!!!"

Matt stepped in to defend the study: "As a scientist I get very tired of hearing scientific studies made fun of because the would-be critic completely misunderstands the significance of the research."

Unlike Matt, Art Turner is probably not a scientist:  "Does anyone else see the humor in the wording of this quote?
'But we need large scale studies in the general population to really figure this out.'
'LARGE SCALE studies'...get it?"

Other readers came up with sound theories to supplement the study.

Alpan wrote: "Probably another reason for the low obesity rates among Amish is the fact that they don't eat processed foods - they grow and raise their own."

Forbes wrote: "One thing the Amish don't use is cars ... they walk."

Wrestin Hatch wrote: "Eating has become more of a hobby or entertainment rather than a necessity in this country. People do it for fun and not for nutrients."

But depressing reader Jade made eating sound neither fun nor entertaining:  "Everyday I see people eat like pigs at a trough and genetics are not to blame for their fattness. Gorging like a starved animal and living on a diet of McCalories and Frappucinos is causing nearly everyone around me to be exceedingly, morbidly corpulent." 

Want to weigh-in? (No pun intended.)  Share your thoughts!

-- Amy Silverstein
Photo: Kurt Wilson/Associated Press

Comments

[D.L.]

Right, so a group of people should be "put to shame" because of the way they look and because they do not work out 3 to 4 hours A DAY! Because in order to be "normal" some people should devote abnormally long valuable hours of their day in order for umm..our society (who exactly?) to be finally happy with THEIR bodies.

And no one blinks at a reader's comment comparing people to animals, because these people happen to be big.

Instead of re-hashing non-information like this, why doesn't the LAT try to be original and look into the obesity hysteria and the sheep that follow it?

[Dean J]

Being overweight is a health risk. Through medicare, medicaid, disability, and social security, we live in a socialized system, and people who are in better shape pay more into that system than folks who are overweight.

D.L., of course thin folks are going to stigmatize against overweight people. They're paying for them.

Try travelling. Americans really are the fattest people on Earth, especially in the First World countries. We eat like pigs. We sit around and watch television. Garbage in, garbage out, I suppose.

[Judith Kellogg NZ]

Humans are NOT Intellectual Beings they are EMOTIONAL BEINGS.
We learn via EMOTION, judge via EMOTION (evaluate & measure)EMOTION etc etc.
Levels of EMOTIONAL states is echo'ed by the ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY
within every Atom of the body & like any Electricity it can be beneficial or it can ravage the body.
Look at why you do anything including have food as a diversion at gatherings, comfort eating.
EMOTION determines every aspect of our lives.
There is NO SUCH THING AS MENTAL ILLNESS only levels of EMOTIONAL imbalance that unattended grows & can become out of control.
The term MENTAL ILLNESS was deliberately coined for Political reasons & to keep Medical profession elitist & more importantly to prevent individuals from helping themselves.
To suffer emotionally spells one is able to make adjustments to the way they were programed to see life & to act & react to these. To suffer a MENTAL ILLNESS can be paralyzing.
People who have a life purpose are less dependant on padding their life with superficialities & pretense & are better able to come to terms with who they are. They dont need LOUD ANYTHING to block out their thoughts or make excuses for why they are fat (because they are not) they take control of their life instead of allowing life & others toss them around.
When things go wrong instead of looking to blame others or THINGS life is merely pointing out you need to look in another direction, nothing else & its the individuals choice as to whether they listen or ignore...prefering to FEEL POOR ME.
Mistakes are lesson...Lessons are for LEARNING from. They should not be an AXE OVER YOUR HEAD.
Feel ashamed & stay where you are...Say what the heck, Ive got to rethink this & you will GROW.

[hinsel]

WOW you mean exercising and being active helps make you not fat!? WHAT A REVELATION! this is an epiphany for our age!

...god...lets hope they didn't spend millions of dollars in research to figure THAT out...duhhhhhhhh

[Harry]

Maybe the scientist is missing the point that there may not even be a 'fat gene'? Having traveled the world a couple of times my casual observations tell me that if your young and fat, you generally eat more energy than you expend. If you're old and fat then you generally eat more energy than you expend.
Of course there are exceptions to both sides... but a 'fat gene'? Oh well, publish or perish.

[D.L.]

Dean J,

You couldn't have given a less original response if you tried.

I criticize the re-hashing of the SAME played out line on obesity and the SHEEP that follow questionable info without questioning it and what do you do? Repeat that same cliches as if they were something completely new and eye opening.

Despite what you and many believe being overweight has NOT been proven to be unhealthy. The so called research behind such claims is either incredibly flawed or downright deceiving (because the diet industry wouldn't make much money if people didn't have many reasons to fear fat).

I can tell from what you right that you have never in your life read one of these research papers behind a report against obesity. You should try doing so one of these days. You repeat this rhetoric about obesity and disease because you have been TOLD by the media and government to think this, not because you have done your own research into the issue. You should understand that the mainstream media reports these questionable data, it doesn't analyze, it doesn't question it just mimics what everyone else is saying.

About the very unoriginal "we pay for it". You pay for what? You pay for your OWN health care you don't pay for that of others. We don't have free government health care FYI. The government takes money from salaries of many people for social security benefits (many of those might never see such benefits) and employers take money out salaries to pay for health insurance. I guess you weren't aware of this since you seem to believe that you pay other people's medical bills...

More exercise and better eating choices are definitely something positive that more people could benefit from. But it is downright foolish to believe that a certain size equals normalcy. Some people are fat, just like some people are black and some people tall.