New research has just put a dagger through the core of the mindset that you can be ‘fat but fit’.
Physical activity does nothing to offset the harmful effects of obesity on cardiovascular health, according to a bomb study published Thursday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.
The findings contradict previous studies concluding that maintaining physical activity could reduce the effects of extra body weight on heart health.
“One cannot be ‘fat but healthy’,” said study author Alejandro Lucia, professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid. “This was the first nationwide analysis to show that regular activity is unlikely to eliminate the harmful health effects of excess body fat. Our findings refute the idea that a physically active lifestyle can completely offset the harmful effects of overweight and obesity. “
Lucia cites previous research that suggested that in adults and children a ‘fat-but-fit’ lifestyle could be in the same cardiovascular state as those who are ‘thin but unfit’ – adding that these are people of the real priority. has strayed.
“This has led to controversial health policy proposals [prioritize] physical activity and fitness over weight loss, ”he said. “Our study sought to clarify the links between activity, body weight and heart health.”
This study examined data from 527,662 working Hispanic adults, all insured by a large occupational risk prevention company. Thirty-two percent of the participants were female; The mean age was 42.
They were categorized by activity level and body weight – with about 42 percent classified as normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) of 20 to 24.9. About 41 percent were overweight, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, while 18 percent were considered obese, with a BMI of 30 or higher. Most of the study’s pool, more than 63 percent, was physically inactive. About 24 percent were regularly active, and just over 12 percent were considered underactive.
The research team then examined the associations between BMI, level of physical activity and high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes – the three of which carry major risks of heart attack and stroke.
They found that in all BMI measurements, any physical activity was associated with a lower risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure compared to not exercising at all.
“This tells us that everyone, regardless of body weight, must be physically active to protect their health,” said Lucia.
So yes, being active is important. But size still matters.
The overweight and obese participants, regardless of activity level, faced higher cardiovascular risks than those of normal body weight. Compared to inactive, normal-weight adults, physically active obese people were still about twice as likely to have high cholesterol, four times more likely to have diabetes, and five times more likely to have high blood pressure.
“Exercise does not seem to offset the negative effects of being overweight,” he added. “This finding was also commonly seen in both men and women when they were [analyzed] separately. “
Lucia concluded that obesity and inactivity should both be combated.
“It should be a common fight,” he said. “Weight loss must remain a primary goal of health policy, along with the promotion of an active lifestyle.”
However, the study makes no dietary advice or recommendations – and when it comes to an example of physical activity, Lucia said, “Walking 30 minutes a day is better than walking 15 minutes a day.”
Sean Heffron, MD, a cardiologist at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases at NYU Langone Health, underlined that obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease – just like insufficient physical activity – but weight loss requires a two-part formula.
“Exercise itself is not the way to lose weight,” he said. “It’s complementary to having an ideal body weight,” but improving your diet is the other piece of the puzzle.
“The ideal would certainly be to have both.”