People can be fat yet fit

People can be fat yet fit, research suggests People can be obese yet physically healthy and fit and at no greater risk of heart disease or cancer than normal weight people, say researchers. The key's being "metabolically fit", meaning no high vital sign , cholesterol or raised blood glucose , and exercising, consistent with experts. Looking at data from over 43,000 US people they found that being overweight did not pose a big health risk. The results are published within the European Heart Journal. In the study at the University of South Carolina, more than a third of the participants were obese. Of these 18,500, half were assessed as metabolically healthy after a physical examination and lab tests. This subset of metabolically healthy obese people that didn't suffer from conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol or high vital sign , were generally fitter and exercised quite the other obese people. And their risk of developing or dying from disorder or cancer was just like people of ideal weight and was half that of "metabolically less fit" obese people. Lead researcher Dr Francisco Ortega, who currently works at the University of Granada in Spain, said the findings show that getting more exercise can keep you healthier, even if you still carry a bit of extra weight. "This research highlights another time the important role of fitness as a health marker. " Most of the lads and ladies within the study came from a uniform background, meaning the results won't apply to everyone. They were mostly Caucasian, well educated, and worked in executive or professional positions. Amy Thompson, of British Heart Foundation, said: "In the bulk of cases, obesity is an undeniable risk factor for developing coronary heart condition . However, these studies remind us that it's not always your weight that's important, but where you carry fat and also how it affects your health and fitness. Maintaining a healthy diet with many physical activity can help to slim you down also as reduce your risk of heart health problems."