BY LOIS DESOCIO

In a nod to Frank’s post today about his admiration for a curvy, not rail-thin, woman (and for those of us in that new-year struggle between whether to: start a diet today! Or: finish the leftover eggnog and cookies and triple-stuffed, cheese-covered pork roast first), a new study has been released by The Journal of the American Medical Association that suggests a little extra pork on the body is not such a bad thing, especially for those of us over 50.

According to an article in The New York Times by Pam Belluck, the report, discusses the relationship ” … between B.M.I and mortality,” and is “… the largest and most carefully done, analyzing nearly 100 studies.”

Two interesting tidbits from the article are: in 1912, the woman who was deemed in “perfect health,” by the medical standards of the day was 5’7,” and weighed 171 pounds. And some experts today have concluded that, even though “it is unproven and debated,” “… extra body fat when you’re older,” “could be protective in some cases.” The study also found that “people 65 and over had no greater mortality risk even at high obesity.”