Fitness vs Fatness

michael300891
michael300891 Posts: 275
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, recent paper looking at fitness vs fatness on risk of death / lifespan (mortality risk):

Key finding is that if you are physically active but overweight/obese, your probably just as healthy as a lean inactive person and possibly even a lean active person.

I.e. the beneficial effects of regular activity, are (arguably) more important than the beneficial effects of losing bodyfat.

"Overweight and obese-fit individuals had similar mortality risks as normal weight-fit individuals."

Practical message is that if your like millions of people worldwide who struggle to lose weight, still aim to be physically active to keep yourself healthy.

Of course being lean and being active would be superb!



To reach this finding:

They performed a meta-analysis (kinda like adding all the data together) of a large number of studies comparing mortality risk and attributes such as physical activity levels and then ran a variety of statistical analyses on the data.

















http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24438729

Replies

  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Yeah this really wouldn't surprise me. It's true that there's probably a heavy correlation between obesity and early mortality. Likely because people who are inactive are often highly obese. That does not equal obesity being the main cause of decreased lifespans. I only speak for my own beliefs. But I think that by en large the human body copes with its own fat storage mechanisms well to a certain degree. Obviously as you get into extreme obesity it becomes a huge problem. But being a bit chubby isn't really going to do much as long as you are fit and healthy. Honestly if that's where I end up I will still consider it a huge improvement from the morbidly obese sloth I was lol.

    You won't find a lot of support hear though. As for many ignoring exercise needs and dieting like crazy is their preferred route. Personally I can't see anything healthy about that.
  • NextPage
    NextPage Posts: 609 Member
    While I agree that physical activity will improve anyone's health I still think it is ideal to keep your weight down and activity up. Just dieting will make you a thin but unhealthy person. However when I was 25 lbs heavier my knees starting telling me that they had enough just walking up the stairs and it simply isn't good for joints, muscles, organs etc. to carry around extra weight. I'm also 51 and extra weight when you are older is worse since you want to maintain strong and healthy and regain the flexibility and muscle that is lost if you just seat and let it slip away as you age.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    Hi all, recent paper looking at fitness vs fatness on risk of death / lifespan (mortality risk):

    Key finding is that if you are physically active but overweight/obese, your probably just as healthy as a lean inactive person and possibly even a lean active person.

    I.e. the beneficial effects of regular activity, are (arguably) more important than the beneficial effects of losing bodyfat.

    "Overweight and obese-fit individuals had similar mortality risks as normal weight-fit individuals."

    Practical message is that if your like millions of people worldwide who struggle to lose weight, still aim to be physically active to keep yourself healthy.

    Of course being lean and being active would be superb!



    To reach this finding:

    They performed a meta-analysis (kinda like adding all the data together) of a large number of studies comparing mortality risk and attributes such as physical activity levels and then ran a variety of statistical analyses on the data.


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24438729

    I think this is true as long as you don't have any of the health issues that go along with being overweight. I'm still considered obese at my current weight (BMI of 30.1), even though I am tall with a large frame, and I exercise 4-5 days a week, but my blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels are all perfect. How much being overweight affects your health is largely genetic, and I know many overweight swimmers, runners, and triathletes that are definitely what I would call "fit" athletically.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    While I agree that physical activity will improve anyone's health I still think it is ideal to keep your weight down and activity up. Just dieting will make you a thin but unhealthy person. However when I was 25 lbs heavier my knees starting telling me that they had enough just walking up the stairs and it simply isn't good for joints, muscles, organs etc. to carry around extra weight. I'm also 51 and extra weight when you are older is worse since you want to maintain strong and healthy and regain the flexibility and muscle that is lost if you just seat and let it slip away as you age.

    Yeah I don't think that the effect of being overweight on ones health is entirely benign I do however think that for most if not all people as long as you work out and keep yourself fit your muscle structure will increase to compensate and support your bones to a great degree. It's true however that I am only 33 and have yet to see how this pans out as I get older. You are probably correct in that it is better to be a "healthy weight". I don't think any reasonable person could dispute that. I just don't think its the death sentence that it is often demonized as. Whereas I think sedentary behavior definitely is. And well if you just enjoy food a bit too much you can still be a very healthy human being without hitting 15% body fat.

    I take the view that our bodies are 90% water. And what does water do when it can't flow ... It stagnates. Same for the body. It's just my anecdotal 2c but I feel it holds up.

    @Fatcity66 it's an overall mortality study and a pretty thorough one the conclusion it reaches is that the diseases and conditions we previously thought where tied to being overweight are actually more likely to be caused by a sedentary lifestyle. Being overweight might be an aggravating condition. But unless very severe it is not even close to the root cause. It's just that we never realized this before because more often than not fat people are sedentary.
  • michael300891
    michael300891 Posts: 275
    "the conclusion it reaches is that the diseases and conditions we previously thought where tied to being overweight are actually more likely to be caused by a sedentary lifestyle"

    Exactly,

    Yeh I always like to think about a quote from Frank Booth

    "It is a common misconception by the general public and most of the scientific community that physical activity is a tool to combat disease. In fact, physical activity is an essential stimulus for the body, and a deficiency in that stimulus leads to chronic disease"

    I.e. think of exercise like a vitamin/mineral. Don't get enough and you get metabolic diseases (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, coronary heart disease, muscle wasting etc)

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