XPost: soc.support.fat-acceptance, sac.politics, alt.atheism   
   XPost: alt.health   
   From: emailme@emaile.com   
      
   September 30, 2016   
   Source:   
   Penn State University   
   Summary:   
   Major League Baseball players have become overwhelmingly   
   overweight and obese during the last quarter century, say health   
   researchers. They found that the athletes' weight held steady   
   for over 100 years, with the majority of them weighing in at   
   what is considered "normal," -- i.e., with a body mass index   
   (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9. However, around 1991 the average   
   player's BMI began to rise, and over the last 25 years nearly 80   
   percent of players fall into the overweight or obese category   
   with a BMI above 25.   
      
   Major League Baseball players have become overwhelmingly   
   overweight and obese during the last quarter century, say health   
   researchers.   
      
   David E. Conroy, Penn State professor of kinesiology, and   
   colleagues looked at 145 years of data on professional baseball   
   players' body mass. The researchers found that the athletes'   
   weight held steady for over 100 years, with the majority of them   
   weighing in at what is considered "normal," -- i.e., with a body   
   mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.   
      
   However, around 1991 the average player's BMI began to rise, and   
   over the last 25 years nearly 80 percent of players fall into   
   the overweight or obese category with a BMI above 25. Obesity in   
   the general U.S. population began to rise in the mid-1970s,   
   according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   
      
   "Research exists that shows how having extra weight can help   
   with certain aspects of baseball," said Conroy, also professor   
   of human development and family studies. "The more force a   
   batter can put into the ball, the further it will travel."   
      
   The researchers used the publicly available Lahman Baseball   
   Database, where players' height, weight and age are recorded for   
   their debut year in Major League Baseball. The data were self-   
   reported, however Conroy points to the trend of players'   
   increasing weight as informative -- and cause for some concern.   
      
   Conroy and colleagues report their findings in Obesity Research   
   and Clinical Practice.   
      
   "The data are observational, and raise more questions than they   
   answer," cautioned Conroy. "BMI can be misleading, because it   
   doesn't take body composition into account. What kind of pounds   
   are the players adding? Are they mostly muscle or fat?"   
      
   The rise coincides with baseball's steroid era, and steroids are   
   known to cause weight gain in some. But the rise also lines up   
   with advances in sports science and nutrition, which have   
   enabled athletes to better train and fuel, helping them build   
   muscle and endurance -- which could lead to weight gain as well.   
      
   "These trends warrant further attention because of the potential   
   for adverse long-term health consequences in this population and   
   those who perceive them as role models for health and human   
   performance," the researchers wrote.   
      
   Story Source:   
      
   Materials provided by Penn State University. Original written by   
   Victoria M. Indivero. Note: Content may be edited for style and   
   length.   
      
   Journal Reference:   
      
   David E. Conroy, Kathleen Y. Wolin, Mercedes R. Carnethon.   
   Overweight and obesity among Major League Baseball players:   
   1871–2015. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 2016; 10 (5):   
   610 DOI: 10.1016/j.orcp.2016.09.003   
      
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160930085937.htm   
      
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