Better to Be Fat & Fit Than Skinny & Unhealthy

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Feb. 11, 2021 - PRLog -- When the clock strikes 12 on January 1, many people all over the world begin a new year's resolution, and oftentimes, it has to do with getting into shape: whether that's eating healthier or exercising more. And there's no hiding it – obesity is a real problem in the United States with nearly 40% of adults classified as overweight or obese.

So as you're working out and trying to inch closer and closer to your goal weight, what if the fat simply isn't melting off your body the way you had hoped? Do you give up? Or do you embrace that you can be both fat and fit?

Science & Studies
The answer is "No" according to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health, which looked at 115,000 nurses aged between 30 and 55. It found that compared with women who were both thin and active for 150 minutes or more of exercise a week, obese but active women had a mortality rate that was 91% higher. That's no joke! However, it's far better than the inactive obese at 142% higher mortality rate.

Differing of Opinion
So if these scientific studies say so, then it's true, right? Well, fascinatingly enough, a completely different study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association took 2,600 people aged 60 and above, of various degrees of fatness, and tested their fitness on the treadmill, rather than asking them to quantify it themselves. This is an unusual approach since many rival surveys ask participants to assess their own fitness. These proper tests demonstrated no hard and fast link between excess weight and increased mortality.

What this contradictory study proves is that although there may be an association between obesity and fitness, a proper study must have its participants prove their fitness on the treadmill, not just take their word for it in a survey. As one progresses from overweight to obese, the percentage of individuals who are fit does go down. Surprisingly, among obese individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of between 35 and 39.9, about 40-45% are still fit. You simply cannot tell by looking whether someone is fit or not.

So yes, there is typically a higher rate of mortality, chronic diseases, and heart attacks in people with high BMI. But when looking at the mortality rates in fat people who are also fit, it would seem that the harmful effect of fat disappears. So is there anything that ALL the experts can agree on? Definitely yes: however much your body weighs, you'll live a longer and healthier life if you move it around a bit.