Obese But “Metabolically Healthy” People Have Much Lower Risk Of Heart Disease, Cancer

Some people considered obese are actually “metabolically healthy” – i.e., they do not have high cholesterol, and are not insulin resistant, diabetic, or hypertensive – and have a higher level of fitness. This paradox should be kept in mind, researchers say, by physicians who prescribe obesity treatments, because these people are at no greater risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer than normal weight individuals. The multinational research team analyzed questionnaire data from 43,265 participants recruited between 1979 and 2003 for a longitudinal health study. The scientists found that 46 percent of the obese participants were metabolically healthy, and had a 38 percent lower risk of death from any cause than their unhealthy obese peers.