You can be fat AND fit, researchers say
“I’m in shape,” a friend of mine repeatedly quips at the gym. “Round is a shape.”
It’s an old joke, but there may be some truth to it. A new study published this week in the European Heart Journal shows it is possible to be both obese and healthy.
“It is well known that obesity is linked to a large number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular problems and cancer,” lead study author Dr. Francisco Ortega said in a statement. “However, there appears to be a sub-set of obese people who seem to be protected from obesity-related metabolic complications.”
The study
Researchers analyzed data from 43,265 participants in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, which was done between 1979 and 2003.
The participants’ body fat percentages were determined using hydrostatic weighing (submersion in water) or skinfold measures, and their fitness levels were tested on a treadmill. Using these criteria, 29.7% of the study participants were labeled obese. Of the obese, nearly half were considered “metabolically healthy.”
All of the participants were followed until 2003; 1,779 died during that time period.
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