News Taffy

Unless you were in a coma last week, you surely heard the news about James Gandolfini dying of a heart attack and the American Medical Association deciding that obesity is now a disease. Maybe you hardly took notice, maybe you don’t think that affects you or your family. But with one third of Americans now fitting the description of obese, I think it does. A simple definition of obese is having a body weight that is 20 percent over ideal for your sex, height, age and physical condition. I am hoping that Gandolfini’s death and the AMA’s decision will serve as a wake up call for thousands of Americans who have been in denial. If you are overweight, you know it. But you may be kidding yourself that it’s ok.

It’s not OK to be overweight. I could go on and list all the bad things that can and probably are happening to you because you are fat but likely you know them. Many people would look at Gandolfini and say he was a hearty, robust kind of guy in the prime of his life. He was known as a fine actor, good father and wonderful friend and husband. He will be deeply missed. But he will now be known as a poster boy for what happens when you live a dangerous life filled with smoking and too much of the wrong kinds of food. And it is dangerous when you ignore the warnings and live your life to excess.

Perhaps you should take a moment to think of all Gandolfini gave up: life with his new wife, seeing his children grow up, the work he must have loved. Now think of all you will be giving up when something similar happens to you. How will it affect your loved ones?

Interestingly, published reports about his autopsy quote friends as saying he was “healthy." Healthy people don’t die of a heart attack. Dying of a heart attack at age 51 is not dying of natural causes according to my husband, cardiologist Barry Tedder. They were probably trying to make the point that he hadn’t died of substance abuse, but let’s exam what may have happened. After a lifetime of poor eating habits, being overweight and smoking, cholesterol and calcium builds up in the arteries, eventually leading to areas of inflammation in the lining of the artery. One of these areas of inflammation may have ruptured, spilling the cholesterol and calcium into the blood stream. The body reacts by trying to clot off the ruptured area, forming a blockage that cuts off blood flow to the heart muscle. This causes a heart attack. If this happens in a major artery, sudden death is the result.

The AMA is sending a message to physicians as well as obese Americans. If you want to live a healthy, active life, if you want to live longer, heed the warning. Don’t live in denial or you may not live much longer.