‘Metabolically healthy obesity’ still raises risk of disease
Obesity is prevalent in populations all over the world. In 2017–2018, 42.4% of the population of the United States had obesity.
In determining someone’s risk of certain conditions, medical professionals do not only look at a person’s weight. They also examine metabolic profiles, which look at other health risk factors, including cholesterol levels, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure.
A new study in the journal Diabetologia examined health risks for people who have obesity but who lack other metabolic risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The findings suggest that people who have obesity should still seek to maintain a moderate weight even if they lack other risk factors for poor health outcomes.
People with obesity are at increased risk of several health problems. Maintaining a moderate weight can help people lower their risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, and high blood pressure.
People with obesity have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Healthcare professionals calculate BMI by taking a person’s weight in kilograms and dividing it by their height in meters. Although it is not a perfect standard, using BMI as a general tool can help determine if a person is maintaining a moderate weight.
