Fat facts

YOUR article (Puppy fat Issue 1436) is misleading and falsely reassuring. I am aware of the American study refered to, but the truth is that most of the evidence that being overweight is beneficial for life expectancy belongs to a much older age group than that of the ‘Puppy Fat generation.

The problem is that what most lay people regard as ‘Puppy Fat’ is in a medical sense obesity, and obesity in babies , children or teenagers is detrimental to long term health and life expectancy. Neither parents nor teenagers can afford to be complacent about obesity, but neither should they aim to be stick thin which is very bad for health.

Any teenager who is unsure about where they are on the overweight/obesity scale should consult a health professional.

For the obese, regular aerobic exercise (two or three times weekly) can lesson the risk, whether or not they lose weight.

Dr Geoff Hall, Alcalali (Alicante)