People can be obese but metabolically healthy and fit, with no greater risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer than normal weight people, according to the largest study ever to have investigated this seeming paradox. The study is published online in the European Heart Journal [1]. The findings show there is a subset of obese people who are metabolically healthy -- they don’t suffer from conditions such as insulin resistance, diabetes and high cholesterol or blood pressure -- and who have a higher level of fitness, as measured by how well the heart and lungs perform, than other obese people.
