The human body comes in all shapes an sizes. Some people are genetically gifted and some are genetically cursed. While most of us fall somewhere in the middle, here are six people who occupy extreme ends of the spectrum…

And no, Greg Valentino didn’t make the list because injecting your arms full of Synthol doesn’t count.

Extreme Fat
Mexican-born Manuel Uribe, 42, is in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records as being the fattest man in the world at 1,257 pounds. He recently lost 570 pounds (3 average men) and is down to a slim and trim 705 lbs. As with any eating disorder, the sooner you seek treatment the easier and safer it will be to obtain a healthy weight with healthy eating habits. See eating disorder resources below.

Extreme Skinny
We didn’t go with the world record holder here because she has modified her body using a corset. Instead, we decided to use a well-known celebrity image (Nicole Richie)that should serve as a warning against anorexic habits. If you or someone you know suffers from anorexia nervosa or any other eating disorder there is help.
Here are are some treatment resources.
By the way, Nicole has since beaten her battle with anorexia and is in much better condition these days with a beautiful baby girl.

Extreme Muscle
Contrary to some less-than-reliable sources on the internet, the picture above is not real. However, the one to your left of Markus Rhul is a real picture and not too far off from the photoshoped one. Arnold was one of the first real specimens of what we would call the “modern” bodybuilder, but even in the short time since his reign as Mr. Olympia the bodybuilders of today have taken their physiques to a new level. There is no denying that scientific advancements in steroids and knowledge of how food and the body works has allowed them to push the limits. As we learn more about human physiology and move into the realm of genetic modification (such as mutating the myostatin gene) be prepared for the day when the something like image above becomes a reality.

Extreme Mass
He may not be the tallest or heaviest man on the planet, but Paul Wight (AKA The Big Show) certainly gets a lot of looks walking down the street. However, at seven feet and 441 pounds, he’s still four inches and 34 pounds smaller than Andre “The Giant” Roussimoff was. Like André the Giant, Wight has acromegaly or “gigantism”, although he underwent successful surgery in the early 1990s on his pituitary gland which halted the progress of his condition.

Extreme Stature - Tall
Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk, the tallest man in the world, stands a towering eight feet, five inches tall - that’s eight inches taller than the previous title holder, Bao Xishun of Mongolia.

Extreme Stature - Short
He Pingping is a young Chinese man from the Mongolia Autonomous Region of China who is probably the shortest person in the world. Right now it is between him and a young boy from Nepal, but win-or-lose his two feet, four inch high body is certainly extreme.