Who Will Live Longest?

The fatter man is at high risk for lots of diseases, but stem cells in his flab may have lifesaving potential

Here's a medical pop quiz: Frick and Frack are friends who sport matching spare tires around their waists. Frick goes to Weight Watchers and loses 30 lbs.; Frack goes to the ice-cream parlor and downs a triple banana split every day for a month. So who will live longer? Anybody with a clue about obesity knows that conscientious Frick has lowered his risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Frack has done exactly the opposite.

But anyone who read last week's issue of the journal Tissue Engineering knows that Frack could someday have a big advantage if a...

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