Fat but healthy' is a myth, new research on weight and heart health concludes
by Study Finds
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France - Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but when it comes to health, a new study finds excess fat is never in fashion. Researchers with the European Society of Cardiology say the idea of being "fat and healthy" is a myth. They say the theory that staying active can counteract the negative effects of obesity is false and even overweight people who exercise still suffer from poorer heart health.
The notion that weight has less bearing on overall health is championed by the body positivity movement, which seeks to end the stigma surrounding being overweight. While fresh analysis of data on more than 520,000 adults does suggest exercise helps to reduce the odds of developing hypertension and diabetes, researchers find being overweight still significantly raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.
In fact, compared to inactive normal weight people, those who are active and obese are still around twice as likely to have high cholesterol. These individuals are four times more likely to have
diabetes and five times more likely to have high blood pressure.
"One cannot be 'fat but healthy,'" Dr. Alejandro Lucia from the European University of Madrid declares in a
media release.
"This was the first nationwide analysis to show that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat. Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the deleterious effects of
overweight and obesity."
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