Boston, Mass. – They have large salaries and access to the country’s best health care – on paper, senior executives should be in top physical condition. The reality, says a new Tufts study, is far different.

   The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both reported that four in 10 Fortune 500 senior executives are obese, according to a study by Dr. James Rippe, a Tufts medical school professor. “There are individuals who could basically have any level of medical care that they want, and yet they’re not paying attention to the basics,” Rippe said in a Boston Herald article.

   The Tufts professor also found the group to be at higher risk for heart disease due to elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure and other health risks. “Some of these people work 70 plus hours a week,” Rippe said of the 200 senior executives he studied. “The culture of their companies really reflects this. The idea of an executive spending the day out on the golf course is a total misconception.”