New Research debunks “Healthy Obesity” myth
December 03 2013
New research from Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital shows that the idea that someone can be obese yet still healthy is a myth. The study found that obesity carries a higher risk of premature death compared to that of normal-weight people, regardless of cholesterol, blood pressure and blood-sugar readings.
In an analysis of data pooled from several previous studies, researchers found that people who were obese but metabolically healthy had a significantly increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke and of dying prematurely.
Lead author Dr. Catherine Kramer said that even in the absence of such markers as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol, an obese person with a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or greater had a 24 per cent higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke or of early death compared to a normal-weight person.
Maintaining a healthy weight, or BMI of between 18.5 and 24.5, is important in reducing the risks of heart attack and diabetes
