Gunzlingr
03-02-2005, 08:16 AM
Many of the gargantuan players of the NFL are obese jocks who have more to fear from their weight than from an opposing tackler, two North Carolina researchers say.
More than half - 56% - of all NFL players are grossly overweight, the researchers said.
Players that huge can expect potentially serious consequences as they age, said UNC endocrinologist Joyce Harp.
"These guys are huge - and they're not all muscle and abs of steel; there's some fat there," Harp said. "As individuals, they should be worried about their health."
Harp and graduate student Lindsay Hecht used the published heights and weights of 2,168 NFL players to calculate the body-mass index of each one.
The study is published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, two New York physicians called the research incomplete because it didn't evaluate the players' body composition or their waist measurements.
"You can have a person who is 250 pounds and they're overweight, but not overfat," said Dr. Keith Ayoob, an associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. "It doesn't necessarily give the whole picture."
St. Vincent's Medical Center obesity surgeon John de Csepel called the research important, but noted BMI is an imperfect measure. "NFL players would certainly have a disproportionate amount of muscle mass, as compared to the overall U.S. population."
Harp said the 1-1/2-page "research letter" isn't intended to be the last word on the subject. "I'm just saying it's something that needs to be looked at from a health standpoint," she said.
* * *
The vital statistics on some of the biggest NFL players:
Jamal Williams
San Diego Chargers defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-3
Weight: 348 pounds
Body mass index: 43.5
Salary: $3.2 million
Sam Adams
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-4
Weight: 335 pounds
Body mass index: 40.8*
Salary: $2.5 million
Ted Washington
Oakland Raiders defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-5
Weight: 365 pounds
Body mass index: 43.3
Salary: $4 million
*(More than 25 is considered overweight; more than 30 is obese)
more (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/285820p-244745c.html)
More than half - 56% - of all NFL players are grossly overweight, the researchers said.
Players that huge can expect potentially serious consequences as they age, said UNC endocrinologist Joyce Harp.
"These guys are huge - and they're not all muscle and abs of steel; there's some fat there," Harp said. "As individuals, they should be worried about their health."
Harp and graduate student Lindsay Hecht used the published heights and weights of 2,168 NFL players to calculate the body-mass index of each one.
The study is published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
However, two New York physicians called the research incomplete because it didn't evaluate the players' body composition or their waist measurements.
"You can have a person who is 250 pounds and they're overweight, but not overfat," said Dr. Keith Ayoob, an associate professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. "It doesn't necessarily give the whole picture."
St. Vincent's Medical Center obesity surgeon John de Csepel called the research important, but noted BMI is an imperfect measure. "NFL players would certainly have a disproportionate amount of muscle mass, as compared to the overall U.S. population."
Harp said the 1-1/2-page "research letter" isn't intended to be the last word on the subject. "I'm just saying it's something that needs to be looked at from a health standpoint," she said.
* * *
The vital statistics on some of the biggest NFL players:
Jamal Williams
San Diego Chargers defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-3
Weight: 348 pounds
Body mass index: 43.5
Salary: $3.2 million
Sam Adams
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-4
Weight: 335 pounds
Body mass index: 40.8*
Salary: $2.5 million
Ted Washington
Oakland Raiders defensive tackle
Height: 6-feet-5
Weight: 365 pounds
Body mass index: 43.3
Salary: $4 million
*(More than 25 is considered overweight; more than 30 is obese)
more (http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/story/285820p-244745c.html)