New research has just sunk a dagger through the core of the mentality that you can be “fat but fit.”
Physical activity does nothing to reverse the harmful effects of excess body weight on cardiovascular health, according to a bomb study published Thursday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.
The findings contradict previous studies that concluded that maintaining physical activity could lessen the effects of extra body weight on heart health.
“You can’t be ‘fat, but healthy,'” said study author Alejandro Lucia, a professor of exercise physiology at the European University of Madrid. “This was the first national analysis to show that being active on a regular basis is unlikely to eliminate the harmful effects on excess body fat on health. Our findings reject the idea that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the harmful effects of overweight and obesity. ”
Lucia cites previous research that suggests that adults and children have a “fatty but appropriate” lifestyle that could be similar to cardiovascular health in those who are “thin but inappropriate” – and adds that this has taken people away from the real priority.
“This has led to controversial proposals for health policies [prioritize] physical activity and fitness above weight loss, ”he said. “Our study sought to clarify the links between activity, body weight and heart health.”
This study looked at data from 527,662 working Spanish adults, all insured by a large occupational risk prevention company. Thirty-two percent of the participants were women; The average age was 42 years.
They were classified according to activity level and body weight – with about 42 percent classified as normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) between 20 and 24.9. About 41 percent were overweight, with a BMI between 25 and 29.9, while 18 percent were considered obese, with a BMI of 30 or more. The majority of the study fund, more than 63%, were physically inactive. About 24% were active on a regular basis and only over 12% were considered underactive.
The research team then examined the associations between BMI, physical activity and high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes – three of which have high risks for heart attack and stroke.
They found that in all BMI measurements, any physical activity was associated with a lower likelihood of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, compared to lack of exercise.
“This tells us that everyone, regardless of body weight, should be physically active to protect their health,” Lucia said.
So yes, being active is important. But size still matters.
Regardless of activity levels, overweight and obese participants faced higher cardiovascular risks than those with normal body weight. Compared to inactive adults with normal weight, physically active obese people were twice as likely to have high cholesterol, four times more likely to have diabetes and five times more likely to have high blood pressure.
“Exercise does not seem to compensate for the negative effects of being overweight,” he added. “This finding was also generally observed in both men and women when they were [analyzed] separated.”
Lucia concluded that obesity and inactivity must be combated.
“It should be a common struggle,” he said. “Weight loss should remain a major target for health policies, along with the promotion of active lifestyles.”
However, the study makes no mention or recommendations for diet – and when it comes to an example of physical activity, Lucia said that “walking 30 minutes a day is better than walking 15 minutes a day.” .
Sean Heffron, MD, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health’s Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, pointed out that obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease – as well as insufficient physical activity – but weight loss requires a two-part formula. .
“Exercise itself is not a way to lose weight,” he said. “It’s complementary to having an ideal body weight,” but improving your diet is the other piece of the puzzle.
“Certainly the ideal would be to have both.”