(CNN) The negative effects of excess body fat on heart health can't be canceled out by maintaining an active lifestyle, according to new research.
Previous studies had suggested that being physically fit could mitigate the negative effects of being overweight on heart health, but this is not the case, according to a new study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), published Thursday.
"One cannot be 'fat but healthy.' This was the first nationwide analysis to show that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat," said study author Alejandro Lucia, a professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid.
"Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the deleterious effects of overweight and obesity."
Previous research provided some evidence that people who were "fat but fit" could have similar cardiovascular health to those who were "thin but unfit," but Lucia said this has had unintended consequences.
WeepingSomnabulist on January 22nd, 2021 at 14:01 UTC »
One huge issue is that many of our living environments are not set up for walking. You just get in your car and drive. I used to be able to eat whatever I wanted because I walked and biked all over the place. Then I got a job in a smaller city without public transportation and blammo, got fat real fast and I have a hard time moving quickly like I used to. Suuuuuuucks.
Whenever I visit a city for a conference, I like to walk around, just to casually look at the architecture and see something different from my usual environs. It's annoying when the layout isn't conducive to pedestrians. Encouraging everyone to drive a car encourages obesity.
Flaux454 on January 22nd, 2021 at 13:26 UTC »
As a biologist who was a bit on the heavier side, it’s been known.
Being overly fat has HUGE effects on your body’s health in more ways than a basic cholesterol/glucose score reads out . It has an effect on cell morphology/phenotypic profile. Protein expression. Upregulation of cell stress markers. Mounting oxidative damage. Etc.
It’s part of the reason I began taking my health more seriously. Down 70lbs (lots of fat gone and have gained a lot of leg and back muscle) in 2 years and my body just FEELS better.
Edit: when I said “always known,” I mean that there’s been decades worth of data that suggests my argument. I changed it to reflect a more real argument without the hyperbole.
Edit2: post is blowing up a bit and I do love the discussions going on in the thread. I encourage people who read this and are on the fence about starting a weight loss regiment, do it! As someone who was perpetually above 230lbs since high school, I needed a wake up call that this isn’t the healthiest way to live. It is rough when you begin, there are days you absolutely want to quit. But it gets better, I swear to you it does. Even if you start slow, a start is a start.
My responses are probably gonna slow down as I got work today!
Jeramus on January 22nd, 2021 at 11:38 UTC »
So in order of most risk factors of heart disease to fewest: overweight and inactive, overweight and active, normal weight and inactive, normal weight and active. Is that what other people understood?
Edit: There have been a lot of comments about under weight. Go read the article, I don't remember that being mentioned. My comment was a summary of the article's findings, not some prognostication of the absolute truth on the issue.