It must be fantastic news to millions of people that you can be obese yet physically healthy and fit and at no greater risk of heart disease or cancer than people of normal weight. This is what researchers say after looking at data from over 43,000 Americans. The results, published in the European Heart Journal: being overweight per se does not pose a big health risk. If the findings are true, it means that the risk of people who tip the scales of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer is identical to people of ideal weight. There is a proviso, though. The key to carrying extra weight but remaining fairly healthy is being “metabolically fit”, meaning no high blood pressure, cholesterol or raised blood sugar, and exercising. These conditions might be a turn-off for people who thought they could splurge endlessly. They shouldn't. Just because metabolically healthy obese people can get away with a few extra pounds does not mean to indulge forever. In the majority of cases, obesity is an undeniable risk factor for developing coronary heart disease. Generally, obesity and lack of fitness raise the risk of illness by impacting on the body's internal chemistry. And anyway, rare is the person who decides the time has come to lose weight and doesn't also decide perhaps it's time to eat fewer sweets, drink less sodas and maybe curtail the kind of carb-rich snacks — the potato chip and the candy bar — that might be singularly responsible for driving up their fat. Along with healthier foods must come fitness as the biggest health game-changer. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and TV, so much of the world's population has become one big couch potato, a stationary mass who will not budge unless forced to, although a growing body of evidence suggests the more time we spend sitting, the less healthy we may be. If we knew that limiting the time we spend sitting to just three hours a day could add an extra two years to our life expectancy, as scientists calculate, we would be up and about much more regularly. Similarly, if we cut daily TV and Internet viewing down to two hours we could add on 1.4 years. But very few of us currently spend less than three hours sitting each day. It seems plausible that if people moved around a bit more, then they might lead healthier lives. Several studies have linked too much of a sedentary life to conditions like diabetes and heart disease as well as an increased overall risk of death. Adults should try to be active every day, to do at least two-and-a-half hours of moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or walking fast every week, as well as a couple of sessions of muscle-strengthening exercises like lifting weights. While studies and initiatives from governments and health-promotion agencies can raise awareness of the risks, ultimately it is down to individuals to choose a lifestyle and habits that give them the best chance of leading a healthy, active life. There is no health risk factor that an individual cannot modify. If one is serious enough one can do something about it.
