“As they age, women who are overweight often look younger than other women.”

“Overweight people are no more likely than those of normal weight to die of cancer or cardiovascular disease.”

“During a ten-year time span, there was a reduced risk of dying for people in their 70’s who were overweight, compared to those of normal weight.”

“Doctors who study osteoporosis say a little extra weight may help strengthen bones.”

I knew there was a reason we said yes to a trial Wall Street Journal Subscription. In an article titled: A Case for Those Extra Ten Pounds, Katherine Rosman (here-to-fore to be known as the beloved Katherine Rosman) shared the above and other women-friendly news from a variety of reputable sources, including the Archives of Dermatology and the CDC.

Ladies, get out your stretch pants.

Now, they were talking the extra 10-15, not 100. And, naturally, the gold standard fat is not the kind I carry (one wants fat on the hips and thighs, not the tummy. Damn, I failed good fat!) But along with the above good news, Rosman writes . . . are you ready for this:

“A little extra fat may also act as a natural face lift . . . Indeed many of the newest cosmetic procedures aim to mimic the role of fat it the face, instead of simply filling in lines and wrinkles.”

Does this mean that Wednesday can once again be Prince Spaghetti Day?

Then, like a cherry on the sundae (which we can also eat) Rosman offers this from an expert:

“ ‘a little physical activity’ twice a week was enough to ameliorate some of the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle.”

What next? Walking is more effective in fighting disease if coupled with licking an ice-cream cone?

You probably think I’m playing a late April Fool, right? Or maybe it’s my plot. Put an extra ten pounds on all my buddies, and then, like the one-eyed woman in the kingdom of the blind, I’ll rule. Hey, I’d link you, but the online WSJ requires a password. However, there is a 2-week free subscription. Go ahead. Check the April 27^th issue.

Oh, but before you joyfully reach for another Ring Ding, in the same issue, Jennifer Corbett Dooren writes “People who eat more chocolate are more likely to be depressed than people who eat less chocolate, a new study found”

But, she goes on to write, is this because depressed people turn to chocolate or that chocolate causes depression? It seemed that one of the doctors involved in the study strongly believes the former and recommends a daily moderate serving of chocolate, telling the Journal, “I tell all my patients, chocolate is a vegetable.”

So, I ask you ladies. What would you rather read? The latest diet in Vogue or the WSJ’s fun-filled Women-in-Wonderland news?

I know what side my bread is buttered on.

P.S. On behalf of truth is posting, I must add this: the same issue of the paper offers a pro and con case for getting a tan. Wait a minute. Isn’t the Journal a kind of conservative paper? Didn’t Murdoch buy it?

Is this a plot to get rid of us? Ten men to every woman? Good-bye feminism? Hello Handmaid’s Tale?

Naw.

Pass the chips. And don’t get any Bain de Soleil on them. And gimme my Journal.

“I don’t like celery, I like sandwiches.” This morning, with breakfast, I read the New York Times, and what I remember the most is this celery line from an article about Lifetime’s show “Drop Dead Diva.”

With coffee, I treated myself to five minutes of Allure magazine, where I turned to, of course, the article, “LIVING YOUNG: What keeps a woman looking young? A study of identical twins reveals some surprising answers (and they don’t involve pricey treatments.)”

The New York Times wisdom about weight and looks came from Josh Berman, creator of the “Drop Dead Diva” (a good natured snack food of a show about an almost-dead tiny model trapped in a plus-size lawyer’s body) who said, “I don’t believe it’s about willpower . . . Everyone has different needs and desires. If someone finds a donut comforting, who are we to judge them?”

Berman’s insight comes from growing up in a weight-obsessed family.

Uh huh. Been there. Done that. Had an aunt who kept a scale smack in the middle of the kitchen entrance. Practically had to leap over it to get to a damn piece of bread.

According to Allure magazine, along with the usual suspects that engender older appearance for women (excess drinking, smoking, stress, anti-depressants (? time to give up happiness?) there is one good bit of news. The study (of identical twins) referenced in the October issue of Allure asserts, “Additional weight fills in and softens wrinkles, making a heavier twin look younger than her sister. “

Unfortunately, this was only true for those over forty years of age.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Older women’s faces look younger when plumper.

Good news, finally a reason to look forward to crossing that 40 threshold.

And, if the creator of a TV show is to be trusted as an arbiter of scientific truism, we aren’t being greedy when smearing cream cheese on a bagel; we’re using nature’s Prozac. Then, avoiding the drugs, we’ll look even younger!

T’is a sin to be fat in America.

T’is unspeakable to be ugly.

But today I’m feeling hopeful. Tomorrow’s Boston Globe is bound to have an article showing that men are overwhelming attracted to women wearing sweat pants.

T’is been a good morning for Word Love.