You can’t judge if a person is fit and healthy by their weight alone: Study

Turns out that an individual suffering from obesity may not be necessarily unhealthy. New study that shows physical activity may be equally and perhaps even more important than weight for people living with severe obesity.

A new study shows that benefits of exercise can outweigh health effects of severe obesity. Meaning ‘fat but fit’ is not impossible. Even those with severe levels of obesity may have overall health profiles similar to that of a moderately weighted person.

A new study shows that physical activity may be equally and perhaps even more important than weight for people living with severe obesity.(Shutterstock)

A Canadian Institute of Health Research-led study has revealed a close relationship between cardio-respiratory fitness and metabolic risk factors in a population affected with mild to severe obesity levels.

The study, led by Jennifer Kuk and Dr Sean Wharton , was conducted on a group of 853 Canadian patients. 41% of these subjects had mild obesity though high fitness levels, while 25% of moderately obese and 11% of severely obese were found to be fit.

The rest of the individuals with severe obesity were more likely to be affected by lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, glucose and triglycerides.

“Doing 150 minutes of exercise per week, as per physical activity guidelines, generally translates to less than half a pound of weight loss. Nevertheless, this amount of exercise can mean dramatic improvements in health for those with severe obesity”, said Professor Jennifer Kuk.

The study further suggested that individuals with a body mass index higher than 40 could still be fit and healthy.

The study was published in a journal named ‘BMC Obesity’.

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