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Obesity isn't the problem, it's fitness that counts
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Can obese people have no health problems? Of course, scientists say, if a person is in good physical shape and feels great, then obesity is not such a big problem.
Among the overweight people there are many who are absolutely healthy. Excess weight is not proof that a person has diabetes, hypertension, cancer or cardiovascular diseases. Slender people, although they do not have problems with weight, are also at risk of developing all the above diseases.
Spanish researchers from the University of Granada claim that having extra pounds does not elevate a person to the status of an unfortunate patient with a thousand and one illnesses; on the contrary, sometimes such “chubby” people can give any “skinny girl” a run for her money.
"The number of people suffering from obesity is steadily growing. All health organizations are trying to combat this problem. However, excess weight is not always a cause for concern if a person is physically active, because the main thing is health, not shape," says study leader Dr. Francisco Ortega.
Between 1979 and 2003, scientists monitored 43,265 people who fit the definition of "obese" and found that half of them were completely healthy and in excellent physical shape, as well as in harmony with their kilograms. They are not at risk of developing obesity-related diseases and are not at risk of premature death. Such people are called "metabolically healthy" by specialists, despite the fact that they are overweight, this does not affect their health in any way.
The risk of dying prematurely in obese but physically active people was 39% lower than in the same people but in poor shape.
The results of this study are very important for practicing doctors who predict and prescribe treatment for obese people, because it is necessary to take into account metabolic rates and physical fitness levels.
Another study by Swedish scientists found that people with extra pounds and heart disease have much higher recovery and survival rates than thin patients with similar problems. It was also found that heart patients who tried to lose weight, on the contrary, increased their risk of death.
Based on research, experts say that it is necessary to worry more about the physical fitness of obese people, rather than counting their extra pounds and calories consumed.
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