quote:

Being "Lean and Unfit" is Better Than Being "Fat and Fit"
December 24, 2015
| Written By: Julianne Chiaet

People often argue that a person can be both fat and fit. Now, Swedish researchers claim that's not possible. They say it's even better to be “lean and unfit” than “fat and fit.” In 2012, another team of scientists argued that overweight and obese people who were "metabolically fit" did not have a higher risk of developing heart disease or cancer than people of normal weight. Being "metabolically fit" meant not having insulin resistance, diabetes or high blood pressure. According to their criteria, about half of the study's 43,000 obese participants were fit. Their study was published in the European Heart Journal.

The negative effects of low aerobic fitness are well documented. However, few studies have investigated the link between aerobic fitness and health among late adolescents. Instead, most of the research has focused on older adults. Umeå University professor Peter Nordström wanted to know whether a high fitness level could make up for the increased risk of death caused by obesity in younger populations. Nordström and a team of researchers collected data on 1,317,713 Swedish men. They tested the subjects' aerobic fitness by using an electrically braked cycle test. The scientists asked the men to cycle until they had to stop due to fatigue.

The participants were, on average, 18-years-old. The researchers followed the men for an average of 29 years to examine the association between aerobic fitness, obesity, and death. The scientists also collected data on the participants' physical fitness level, health conditions, socioeconomic status and causes of death. During the follow-up period, 44, 301 participants died. Men in the highest fifth of aerobic fitness had a 48 percent lower risk of death than those in the lowest fifth of aerobic fitness. The lowest fifth was the group most associated with deaths due to suicide, alcohol and narcotics. The researchers also found a strong link between trauma-related death and low levels of aerobic fitness.

The normal weight men, regardless of their fitness level, were at a lower risk of death than the obese individuals in the highest quarter of aerobic fitness.


The study is severely limited in that it surveyed a population of young men. Thus, the findings may not apply to women or older adults. In addition, causes of premature death due to fitness and obesity are more likely to occur in people over 50-years-old. These causes of death include heart disease and cancer. It is possible for the participants to develop these diseases now, but the study is over and, therefore, won't include that data.

The observational study shows an association between obesity, regardless of fitness level, and death. It does not show causality. Countless of studies have shown the benefits of exercise, so the researchers still suggest people should exercise regardless of weight. However, if a person exercises below their current abilities, they do not improve their fitness level. The study did not account for exercise that did not improve fitness level.

The research was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

quote:

Interesting study. Some fact-checking is in order. Either you or your editors effected to confound two studies. There's a 2012 study by unnamed researchers concluding that "fit yet fat" is not health-adverse. There is a study, published in _November 2014_ by the researcher mentioned in the journal mentioned. The study is entitled "High aerobic fitness in late adolescence is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction later in life: a nationwide cohort study in men", lead author Högström G. That study looked at 752 811 men, always around the age of 18, thanks to that country's military conscription policies. I'd like to know where the author of this article comes up with "1,317,713". Indeed, all the subjects were (at the start) on average 18 yrs of age and Swedish. That study did indeed find that overweight and obese men in the top-fourths of physical fitness had a higher risk of MI (heart attacks) than did the skinny men with poor aerobic fitness. There is no similar study since then that cites this study. Therefore I conclude, it is the same study.

One interesting note: The HR (Hazard risk) from smoking was 2.36, while from being Obese (BMI>30) and unfit (lowest quartile) was 4.6!

www posted:

im skinnyfat, where does that put me

Germstore posted:

Where they finding all these fit fats. Never seen a fat that wasn't huffin and puffin half way up a hill.

Germstore posted:

Where they finding all these fit fats. Never seen a fat that wasn't huffin and puffin half way up a hill.

Dave_Indeed posted:

I like how fats cling to the thought that you can be morbidly obese but in good shape. It shows spunk.

What I won't tolerate is that fats are tough. Remember Tanker from road house? You are not tough, Tanker.

Dave_Indeed posted:

What I won't tolerate is that fats are tough. Remember Tanker from road house? You are not tough, Tanker.

Grandmother of Five posted:

glad to finally see gbs take fat people down a peg

Decebal posted:

Maybe you can complain in QCS until the mods get tired and gas it ?

Grandmother of Five posted:

glad to finally see gbs take fat people down a peg

Grandmother of Five posted:

glad to finally see gbs take fat people down a peg

Grandmother of Five posted:

glad to finally see gbs take fat people down a peg

mdm posted:

you know they're too lazy to go down the pegs themselves, even when it's down-gravity

Grandmother of Five posted:

glad to finally see gbs take fat people down a peg

Decebal posted:

Maybe you can complain in QCS until the mods get tired and gas it ?

Say Nothing posted:

Grandmother of Five posted:

it's better to wait until a thread has grown big enough so that you can easily spot the extremely mentally unwell people by checking a thread's top posters for who has thousands of hate-filled posts about fat people, homosexuals, stupid powerball playing poors, the chineese, xbox owners, girls, or whatever the topic happens to be

Grandmother of Five posted:

it's better to wait until a thread has grown big enough so that you can easily spot the extremely mentally unwell people by checking a thread's top posters for who has thousands of hate-filled posts about fat people, homosexuals, stupid powerball playing poors, the chineese, xbox owners, girls, or whatever the topic happens to be

Say Nothing posted:

Say Nothing posted:

The Whole Internet posted:

quote:

Nordström and a team of researchers collected data