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Fat's Not Fit
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 10, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 10, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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Huh, it seems like Mayor Bloomberg's claim that Dr. Robert Atkins died not from a fallin front of his Manhattan residence but because he was obese and had heart problems might actually be correct: The Wall Street Journal's reports the late Dr. Robert Atkins's medical history, which reveals he had "a history of heart attack, congestive heart failure and hypertension." However, the diagnosis was not made from an autopsy but based on an external examination's notes, which gives Atkins's supporters, like the chairman of the Atkins Physicians Council in New York, some room to say Atkins' heart problems may have been due to a virus or that his obesity was caused by bloating. Widow Veronica Atkins has written a response and is looking into how the information was leaked.
When you calculate Dr. Atkins's body mass index, someone who at 6 feet, 258 pounds, has a BMI of 35 which is obese. Even 6 feet, 230 pounds, is obese. Really, the time-tested tradition of weight-loss and better health is exercise and counting calories in a well-balanced diet (more from the Department of Health and Human Services).
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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