As nation gains, size 14 is new 10

[Guest guest]

The little number on the tag on a pair of pants that indicates size can mean

a lot to a person, and retailers know it.

That's why, in recent years, as the American population has become generally

more overweight, brands from the luxury names to the mass retail chains have

scaled down the size labels on their clothing.

" You may actually be a size 14 and, according to whatever particular store

you're in, you come out a size 10, " said Nixon, associate professor

of fashion industry management at Philadelphia University. " It's definitely

to make the consumer feel good. "

Research shows that, when it comes to self-perception, the concept of

" overweight " may be relative.

A working paper from a group led by Burke, senior economist at the

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Massachusetts, suggested that people's

perceptions of overweight have shifted, and " normal " is now heavier than it

used to be.

Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination

Surveys, nationally representative surveys run by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. The first group was surveyed in 1988-1994, and the

second was surveyed in 1999-2004. Because there were different people in

each survey, it is not possible to tell if the perceptions of individuals

shifted over time, the authors said.

Participants were asked whether they consider themselves " underweight, "

" about right, " or " overweight, " and reported their body mass index, a

measure of the health risks associated with weight.

Although the BMI of the general population increased from the earlier survey

period to the later one, the probability of people describing themselves as

overweight decreased in the later survey, researchers found.

They found that weight misperception tended to decrease among women --

meaning women with normal BMI who were surveyed in 1999-2004 were less

likely to say that they're " overweight " than women with normal BMI in

1988-1994, especially among 17 to 19-year-olds. For men, it was about the

same.

" For women, this was good news, " Burke said. " Women seem to get a more

realistic perception of themselves. "

Although the study authors said this trend may reflect healthy body image

campaigns, physician nutrition specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis, who was not

involved in this research, said she doubts that positive messages had this

much influence.

Rather, it is the relative increase in weight of the general population that

makes people with normal BMI feel more normal, she said.

On the flip side, feeling normal but being overweight may decrease a

person's motivation to lose weight, Burke said.

Still, while the BMI scale reflects disease risks associated with being

overweight, it does not reflect the whole story of a person's health,

experts said.

There have been reports that being somewhat overweight, but not obese, is

associated with decreased mortality, such as a 2005 study in the Journal of

the American Medical Association that looked at deaths from a variety of

causes.

Innovations such as treatments for high cholesterol have lowered the death

risks for overweight people, Burke said. Especially for older adults, being

slightly overweight may increase bone density, cushioning bones against

falls, she said.

But the JAMA paper shows associations, not causes. People should not take

this information as an excuse to gain weight, Jampolis said.

There are, however, other reasons that BMI isn't the whole story -- for

instance, it does not reflect the distribution of a person's weight,

Jampolis said.

" You could have really skinny arms and legs and just carry your weight in

the middle, and it could be only 10 pounds, but belly fat, the visceral

adiposity, it could very significantly increase your risk of disease, " she

said.

Rest of article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/10/attitudes.overweight/index.html

--

Ortiz, MS RD

" Quack " should only come from ducks, not scam artists.

Seen on a comic: " My husband is not overweight. He's just big-intestined "