Obesity Is Not Always the Enemy
Reported August 12, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Many believe obesity, diabetes and heart disease are close relatives. However, two new studies indicate weight alone does not always determine ones 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 individuals 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