People who are 'fat but fit' can face higher risk of heart disease, finds study

In a new study, researchers has found that people who have healthy blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, being overweight or obese still carries a higher risk of coronary heart disease.Experts at Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge study half a million people and found that being overweight or obese increased a person’s risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by up to 28% compared to those with a healthy body weight.

The researchers studied it for 12 years and examined participants' body mass index (BMI) and whether they were metabolically “healthy” or “unhealthy”  people were classed as unhealthy if they had three or more of a number of metabolic markers, including; high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of HDL cholesterol or an “elevated” waist circumference.

One more fact came as a result that those classed as unhealthy had more than double the risk of coronary heart disease whether they were normal weight, overweight or obese and even over weight and obese people who were deemed “healthy” by their metabolic markers carried a higher risk.

Lead author Dr. Camille Lassale said “Our findings suggest that if a patient is overweight or obese, all efforts should be made to help them get back to a healthy weight, regardless of other factors.Even if their blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol appear within the normal range, excess weight is still a risk factor.

The study is published in the European Heart Journal