![\"iStock_000003515144_ExtraSmall\"](\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/iStock_000003515144_ExtraSmall.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe terms \u201chealthy obesity\u201d and \u201cbenign obesity\u201d have been used to describe people who are obese but don’t have the abnormalities that typically accompany obesity, such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol, Retnakaran explained.\u00a0 \u201cWe found that metabolically healthy obese individuals are indeed at increased risk for death and cardiovascular events over the long term as compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight individuals,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
It’s possible that obese people who appear metabolically healthy have low levels of some risk factors that worsen over time, the researchers suggest in the report, originally published Dec. 3 in the\u00a0Annals of Internal Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, welcomed the report. \u201cGiven the recent attention to the ‘obesity paradox’ in the professional literature and pop culture alike, this is a very timely and important paper,\u201d Katz said. (The obesity paradox says that obese people with chronic\u00a0diseases\u00a0have a better chance of survival than normal-weight individuals do).<\/p>\n
Some obese people appear healthy because not all weight gain is harmful, Katz said. \u201cIt depends partly on genes, partly on the source of calories, partly on activity levels, partly on hormone levels. Weight gain in the lower extremities among younger women tends to be metabolically harmless; weight gain as fat in the liver can be harmful at very low levels,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
I think most experts today would agree that being overweight in and of its self is harmful.\u00a0 Aside from it contributing to diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, being very overweight or obese can lead to fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, emotional problems like depression and osteoarthritis.\u00a0 Yes, at some point, your musculoskeletal system will try to tell you that it wasn\u2019t created to schlep around all that extra weight.\u00a0 You will feel it in your knees, your back, and your hips and in your feet and ankles.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You will experience it through aches and pains that can negatively impact your quality of life as you age. And just because you went to the doctor at age 50 and your blood test looked relatively good, when you carry around too much weight, those numbers can and usually will change rapidly.<\/p>\n
The biggest fault in this study is that it doesn\u2019t address the \u201cFit and Fat\u201d phenomenon. Physical activity is far, far <\/i>more important than weight, as the results from the Aerobics Longitudinal Study (the biggest and most rigorous study on the topic) state. This study, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Steven Blair examined data on 43,265 participants enrolled between 1979 and 2003, who filled out questionnaires about their lifestyle and medical history and also underwent physical exams, blood tests and a treadmill test to gauge their cardiovascular fitness. The researchers categorized obese participants as \u201cmetabolically healthy\u201d if, aside from their weight, they didn\u2019t suffer from insulin resistance,\u00a0diabetes, low levels of good cholesterol, high triglycerides and high blood pressure. Nearly half of the obese participants in the study qualified as metabolically fit.<\/p>\n
Compared with obese people who had at least two of the above markers of poor health, those who were obese but metabolically healthy had a 38 percent lower risk of early death from any cause. In fact, those who were fat but fit had no higher death risk than metabolically healthy normal weight participants. <\/i><\/b>The problem with the current study is that it didn\u2019t differentiate between obese people who exercise and those who don\u2019t.<\/b><\/p>\n
In Blair\u2019s study, those in the lowest fifth in terms of fitness had a death rate four times higher than participants ranked in the top fifth for fitness.\u00a0 Dr. Blair states, \u201cBeing fit provides protection against mortality in these men and women 60 and older, whether they\u2019re normal weight, overweight, or obese.\u201d\u00a0 In another study by Lee, Blair, and Jackson several years ago, 21,925 men of all shapes and sizes were assessed and monitored for eight years.\u00a0 The study concluded that men, who were fit and fat, actually had a lower mortality rate than men who were normal weight but unfit and sedentary.\u00a0 One of the authors of this study is clinically obese.\u00a0 However, he runs 35 miles per week.\u00a0 So the key here is \u201cfit,\u201d and not necessarily thin.<\/p>\n
So this latest research, highly touted and publicized, has its place. That place is this: if you don\u2019t exercise and you are obese, it is dangerous<\/i>, even if your blood pressure, your cholesterol and your blood sugar is all great!\u00a0 But, if you can manage to exercise while being obese, you\u2019re better off than a thin person, who doesn\u2019t exercise.<\/p>\n
One more thing to think about: if you are counting on being overweight or obese and being an exerciser, take it from this personal trainer who has trained many overweight people\u2014it isn\u2019t so easy to exercise and be fat.\u00a0 You might have to do it, but it is a lot more pleasant to lose the weight while you are exercising with proper eating, proper sleep, good hydration and making sure your exercise program is balanced and safe for you to do.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, working toward a normal weight together with exercise will \u201cadd hours to your day, days to your year, and years to your life.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Does being <\/em>frum put you at greater risk for obesity? Read more at<\/em>\u00a0Jewish Action.\u00a0http:\/\/www.ou.org\/jewish_action\/03\/2013\/weighing-in-on-obesity-in-the-frum-community\/<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a002-651-8502<\/a> or 050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every so often, a piece of news hits from the world of health that is so big it is picked up by every news outlet there is.\u00a0 And a couple of weeks ago, every print and electronic media outlet pick up on the following headline: \u201cHealthy Obesity Is a Myth, Report Says.\u201d\u00a0 Yes, one year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":34356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/p>\n