From the New York Times:

People who are overweight but not obese have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight, federal researchers are reporting today.

The researchers - statisticians and epidemiologists from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - also found that increased risk of death from obesity was seen for the most part in the extremely obese, a group constituting only 8 percent of Americans.

Hmmmm….could this possibly be because the weights that are considered “healthy” have been falling in the last 20 years?  I remember when Rocky told me that they had put him on a special weight gaining diet at the Air Force Academy because he was under 200 pounds, and it was considered incredibly dangerous for him to be that skinny.  Now, according to the BMI, he’d be at the top of his “healthy” range at 200 pounds.  In my opinion, many people who are at their “ideal” weight might actually be underweight.  Certainly, many people who are at their “ideal” weight labor under the illusion that they don’t need to worry about diet and exercise because the primary health concern of this country doesn’t apply to them.

As for whether there is truly a mortality risk in being underweight, Dr. Mark Mattson, a rail-thin researcher at the National Institute on Aging who is an expert on caloric restriction as a means of prolonging life, said it was not clear that eating fewer calories meant weighing so little, since some people eat very little and never get so thin. In any event, while caloric restriction may extend life, Dr. Mattson said, "there's certainly a point where you can overdo it with caloric restriction, and we don't know what that point is."

Ha!  Told ya!  Clearly, a person should eat to fuel their body, and they should eat to experience the joy and wonder that food can provide, and they should do so in moderation, as part of a physically and psychologically healthy lifestyle.  This varies from person to person.  Some people need more carbs, some need more protein.  Some need more cardio, some need to increase muscle mass.  This cookie-cutter health stuff just doesn’t work.