Obesity comes with a slew of health consequences and roughly 42% of American adults are obese. This contributes to the ongoing Type 2 diabetes epidemic, with ever greater numbers of people being diagnosed with the disease.
Yet, some note that up to 20% of obese individuals have none of the complications typically found with extra weight. No diabetes. No high blood pressure. No abnormal levels of blood fat.
This is commonly called “fat but fit,” although it’s known as metabolically healthy obesity by physicians.
But German researchers are questioning the idea that anyone can truly be healthy and obese. Instead, many of these seemingly healthy people might simply be on a timeline where the side effects of their excess weight are delayed, researchers hypothesize.
Scientists say these seemingly fit, obese individuals still have a 50% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease. That throws cold water on the notion of being obese and fit.
To be sure, those whose weight has not yet led to serious problems are in a better position than the 50% of obese folks who have at least two health conditions linked to their weight.
The study also found that women are more likely to have metabolically fit obesity than men.
Why one person is diagnosed with metabolically healthy obesity and others experience life-threatening health problems can depend on how fat is stored in the body. For example, when people have fat packed around organs like the liver, they’re more likely to get sick.
Others, meantime, store fat cells more evenly.
All this argues that we should work to maintain a healthy weight, because diabetes and heart disease can be the heaviest burden of all.