(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Many believe obesity, diabetes and heart disease
are close relatives. However, two new studies indicate weight alone does not
always determine one’s risk for cardiovascular and metabolic problems.
One study at the University of Tübingen in Germany showed obese participants who
were still insulin sensitive did not differ from participants of normal weight
in the cardiovascular risk factors of insulin sensitivity and artery wall
thickness. In addition, researchers found obese individuals with insulin
resistance had more fat within their skeletal muscles and livers than obese
individuals without. Insulin-resistant individuals also had thicker walls in
their carotid arteries, an early symptom of the heart disease risk factor
atherosclerosis.
A separate study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx,
N.Y., also challenges the idea that weight alone determines the risk of heart
disease. Researchers found 23.5 percent of normal-weight adults were
metabolically abnormal. On the other hand, 51.3 percent of overweight adults and
31.7 percent of obsese adults were metabolically healthy.
“These data show that a considerable proportion of overweight and obese U.S.
adults are metabolically healthy, whereas a considerable proportion of
normal-weight adults express a clustering of cardiometabolic abnormalities,”
study authors wrote.
Previous research suggests the way body fat is distributed, in addition to
overall obesity, may influence an individual’s risk for heart disease and
diabetes. Those with fat around the waist appear to be at higher risk for
insulin resistance and cardiovascular problems.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2008;168:1609-1616 and 1617-1624
