Fitness Friday

Those Who Are Overweight/Obese but Still 'Bio-metrically Fit' are Still at an Increased Risk of Heart Disease

Research has found that the previous notion that those who were overweight but still bio-metrically fit were healthy, has been quashed with a shown increased risk of heart diseased in the studied population.

The 'fat but fit', or 'bio-metrically fit', myth has long had many believe you were healthy even if you are overweight or obese, but had healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. New research from the Imperial College of London has busted that myth, however, with the finding that those who were overweight or obese were at an up to 28% increased risk of heart disease. The storage of too much fat in the body, which is what leads to the classification of being overweight or obese, leads to an increase in blood pressure, high blood sugar, and unhealthy changes in cholesterol levels. There are some, overweight/obese individuals, however, that do not experience these changes and have been deemed metabolically fit in previous medical literature. The research conducted by scientists at the Imperial College of London and the University of Cambridge has finally found evidence contrary to the previous claim.

The researchers utilized data from over half a million people in 10 European countries, and studied the 5 year follow up. The researchers classified the individuals in the study according to BMI classification, lifestyle factors (smoking, diet, exercise and socioeconomic status), and were categorized as unhealthy if they met the threshold of three or more metabolic biomarkers. The researchers concluded that in the healthy group, there were variations depending on the participant's weight. Compared to those at normal weight, those who were classified as overweight were 26% more likely to have a cardiovascular event and those who were obese were at a 28% increased risk compared to those of normal health and weight. This study shows that regardless of 'healthy' metabolic indicators, weight still plays a large role in determining health outcomes.