A theory of operatic proportion

IT’S not often that a cliche spawns a professional medical hypothesis -- but such is the case with the oft-quoted, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.”

In recent weeks, the name of Peter Osin, a consultant at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital, has been popping up in newspapers and on arts-related websites because the doctor has a new theory: Chubby opera singers -- ladies as well as gentlemen -- may be the victims of their own art form.

Osin suggests that opera singers may be more prone to rotundity than non-singers because lung cells have a unique ability to release hormone-like substances, including leptin, in response to mechanical stress.

“Although not all of its functions are entirely clear, leptin is thought to be an important regulator of body fat and currently is one of the ‘main suspects’ in the development of human obesity,” Osin says. “Taking into account that opera singing is extremely arduous lung exercise, it is possible that the physiological mechanism responsible for weight gain is built in.”

Osin, a physician who serves as a consultant histopathologist-cytopathologist, is quick to add that this is his personal theory, based on published studies linking the stretching of lung cells to the production of leptin; the research is not specific to opera singers. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Royal Marsden Hospital.

“The really intriguing question is, why aren’t all opera singers fat?” Osin continues in an e-mail from London. He acknowledges that the “Champagne lifestyle” of some singers may contribute to plumpness, including “late dinners, travel through time zones, lonely hotel rooms, restaurant meals, etc.”

Another question: Why do we care so much why the “lady” is fat? “I think it touches a particular nerve of modern obsessions, both with body image and celebrities,” Osin says. “An opera diva is glamour personified, so at the same time, being fat seems like a very intriguing paradox.”

-- Diane Haithman