Here is one area in which weight may not have a negative effect on a health activity - sex!.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology research showed that overweight women are having more sex than their thinner sisters.
The study reviewed data from 2002 that looked at the sexual behavior of 7000 women. The numbers show that 92 percent of overweight women reported having a history of sexual intercourse with a man, as opposed to 87 percent of women with a normal body mass index.
Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, said, "Our analysis demonstrated that obese and overweight women do not differ significantly in some of the objective measures of sexual behavior compared to women of normal weight. This study indicates that all women deserve diligence in counseling on unintended pregnancy and STD prevention, regardless of body mass index."
The study ran counter to a common stereotype about overweight. Even when controls were reviewed for age, race and residence, overweight women were having more sex than women who have normal body mass index.
The study seems to contradict widely held stereotypes that overweight and obese women are not as sexually active as other women. If anything, the researchers concluded the opposite seems to be true.
The researchers concluded that the medical community itself may have to reexamine its own stereotypes in how carefully it counsels all women, regardless of weight.