By JEREMY LAURANCE COMMENT So is it possible to

By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Nov. 7--Just in time for Thanksgiving comes the word we've been longing for: People who carry a little extra weight are dying at lower rates than their counterparts of "normal" size.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Just in time for Thanksgiving comes the word we've been longing for: People who carry a little extra weight are dying at lower rates than their "normal" sized counterparts.

By Liebman, Bonnie IS THAT SPARE TIRE A LIFESAVER? "Some extra heft may be helpful," declared The New York Times. "Pleasantly plump may be okay," announced ABC News. Last April, a flurry of news reports shook the conventional wisdom that putting on extra pounds is a health risk.

New evidence shows that the obesity epidemic is not as bad as we have been led to believe. However, that doesn't mean that we should dismiss the problem either. You have probably heard that we are in the midst of obesity epidemic.