There’s nothing healthy about obesity–and if you spend too many years with too many pounds, you will pay a hefty price.

Millions of people are in denial about their condition, and now even some researchers are getting in on the act: A new study claims that it’s possible to be both obese and healthy.

It defies all credibility.

Dutch researchers looked at the health records of 1,325 obese people between the ages of 28 and 75. They were part of the 8,356 participants in a study called PREVEND, or the Prevention of Renal and Vascular Endstage Disease.

The researchers found that 90 of the obese people–less than 7 percent–had no history of heart disease, stroke, diabetes high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high triglycerides. And none of them were taking cholesterol meds.

Over seven years, only one of these patients developed cardiovascular disease, on par with the number of healthy normal-weight people who developed the condition.

That led researcher Dr. Andre van Beek of the University Medical Center in Groningen to conclude, “it’s the metabolic risk profile that counts, and not the weight itself.”

I wish he had followed these patients right to the end of their lives before making such a bold statement. I’d like to see their life expectancies, causes of death and total risk of cardiovascular disease–because I’d bet anything he wouldn’t be so quick to make this claim if he did.

And of course, the ravages of obesity can go far beyond heart disease and diabetes. Obesity can wreck everything from your mobility to your sex life–but as long as you didn’t have the metabolic risk factors mentioned in this new study, you’d be “healthy” according to these researchers.

But if you’re obese, there’s no two ways about it: You’re not healthy. It might take longer than seven years, but the toll of obesity will catch up to you eventually.

So skip the denial and don’t look to studies like this one for reassurance. If you’re fighting your own Battle of the Bulge, fight to win–or risk losing your life.

It’s no secret–diabetics can often win complete control over their condition by simply losing weight and watching what they eat.

So long, meds… and goodbye, insulin. It’s as easy as that.

But now, an Associated Press report shows how some diabetics who won’t lose weight the right way–through diet and exercise–are now reaching out for an extreme alternative: weight-loss surgery.

And this dangerous shortcut isn’t reserved for the fattest of the fat anymore.

In fact, some diabetics who turn to stomach surgery barely put a strain on the scales. They’re among the functionally overweight, people who are really just a few good months of reasonable eating away from a normal, healthy size.

And that’s just frightening.

At least one new study on the impact of weight-loss surgery on diabetics is recruiting patients with BMIs as low as 27 –-right in the middle of the “overweight” category, and nowhere near the “obese” range, much less the high levels of obesity you typically see in candidates for the procedure.

Diabetics are being led into operating rooms by doctors and surgeons who say there’s more to controlling the disease than just good dieting. These doctors–who collect huge fees for each stomach they shrink–claim that the surgery itself may cause a change inside the body that leads to normal blood sugar control.

One theory is that the newly bypassed digestive tract can help control the hormones that regulate blood sugar. In other words, they want you to believe that the expensive, dangerous surgery can do something that healthy dieting can’t.

But tens of thousands of diabetics who’ve lost weight the right way beg to differ. They’ll tell you the truth– because they didn’t need surgery, just a firm commitment to healthy lifestyle changes.

Many of them are now completely free of any sign of diabetes, and no longer use meds. And if they can do it, so can you–because a good diet can do more than help you lose weight. It can teach you how to eat.

Many patients who opt for surgery, on the other hand, never learn that lesson and wind up eating smaller portions of the same bad foods, more frequently. Others turn to high- calorie items like milkshakes.

And then, the weight starts coming back.

Surgery only works if you commit to a radically different lifestyle afterwards. But as long as you’re planning to make changes anyway, do yourself a favor and skip the surgery in the first place.

Learn to eat right. The weight will come off more quickly than you think… and then, you can take control of your diabetes–and maybe even bid adieu to your meds.

Your body will thank you. Your pharmacist, on the other hand, might not.

Dementia doesn’t have to come with the territory as you get older–and three new studies show how good habits for your body now can save your mind years later.

And it comes down to three things that should be a big part of your life anyway: vitamin D, tea and exercise, according to the studies presented at a recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Honolulu.

Let’s start with exercise.

Researchers tracked 1,200 elderly people for 20 years as part of a study on cardiovascular risk. But the researchers also noticed that the 242 patients in the study who developed dementia tended to have something in common: more time on the sofa.

Once they crunched the numbers, the researchers found that the patients who enjoyed the highest levels of physical activity had a 40 percent lower risk for dementia in any form. Those who moved the least, on the other hand, were 45 percent more likely to come down with the mind-robbing condition.

Maybe these folks should have been drinking more tea–because another new study on seniors finds that those who sipped between one and four cups each week had a 37 percent lower risk of dementia than those who drank no tea.

The researchers say coffee didn’t show any benefits except at very high levels of consumption… but don’t let that keep you from your daily cup of mud, because other studies have found that caffeine can slow the production of amyloid-beta, an amino acid found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. (Read, “Drink to beat dementia.”)

And in the third new study, researchers confirm something I’ve told you about before: Vitamin D can lower your risk of dementia–and a D deficiency can increase it dramatically. (Read, “Vitamin D can beat cognitive decline.”)

Researchers looked at data on 3,325 American seniors and found that those who had low levels of D were 42 percent more likely to suffer from cognitive impairment.

But wait–this one gets even worse. Those who were severely deficient in D had a 394 percent increased risk. And millions of us are severely deficient in D.

You might even be one of them.

But you can kill two birds with one stone here by getting a little exercise out under the sun, where your body can make its own vitamin D as you work up a sweat, burn some calories and get your blood pumping.

In addition to slashing your risk of dementia, that all-natural vitamin D can also keep your bones strong and lower your risk for any number of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. It may also boost your immune system, and it could even help you live longer.

Then, after a little exercise and a little sun, complete the trifecta by kicking back with a cup of antioxidant-rich tea. Green tea in particular has been linked to everything from longevity to cancer prevention.

Call them the ancient Chinese secrets to good health–because new research finds that two classic marital arts pack a serious punch when it comes to your wellbeing.

And the best part of all is that you don’t have to be a karate kid to try either.

The arts are tai chi and qigong, and they’re especially popular with seniors because they incorporate slow, easy movements along with rhythmic motions, meditation, breathing exercises and mind-body exercises.

That may sound esoteric and even a little strange… but the new analysis of 77 published studies involving 6,410 people finds some stunningly consistent results.

In fact, the researchers say the randomized, controlled trials they reviewed found that these exercises can improve physical function, mental health and overall quality of life. Tai chi and qigong can also help lower your risk of falling, boost your balance and increase your cardiorespiratory fitness.

They might even improve your chopsticks skills.

All kidding aside, the researchers believe the exercises may awaken or enhance the body’s ability to heal itself, according to the study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

That’s up for debate–but there’s no debating the results, because I’ve shared some of them with you before. One study last year found that tai chi can provide significant relief for osteoarthritis sufferers. (Read, “Ancient Chinese secret: Tai- chi linked to osteoarthritis relief.”)

Tai chi and qigong groups are easy enough to find in most cities. If you live in a smaller town and can’t find one using a Google search, ask at your local senior center or community recreation hall, where classes are often held. Many community-based groups also use public parks for their early-morning exercises, so be sure to check yours.

You can also find some basic exercises online–try searching for “qigong” and “tai chi” on the YouTube Web site for some video demonstrations. Then, you can copy the movements in the comfort of your own home or yard.

Don’t worry–you don’t need to be a Shaolin warrior to handle these moves. And if any of your friends and neighbors ask what you’re doing, don’t be afraid to share this ancient Chinese secret.