A study by scientists at the University of Birmingham suggests that “healthy” obese people are still at higher risk of heart failure or stroke than the general population (University of Birmingham, 2017).

The study, which was the largest of its kind to date, involving analysis of the GP records of 3.5 million people from across the UK from 1995 to 2015, was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Porto, Portugal earlier this week. The results raise questions around the concept of healthy obesity, a condition characterised by having normal markers of metabolic health despite a BMI of thirty or more.

During the study, a team from the Institute of Applied Health Research at the University of Birmingham used electronic patient records to look for markers of being metabolically healthy, having normal blood pressure and cholesterol and no diabetes, while also being obese. They then tracked how many people had coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (including stroke), heart failure or peripheral vascular disease (a disorder of blood circulation).

The results showed that, compared to healthy people of a normal weight, those regarded as healthy and obese had a 49% increased risk of coronary heart disease, a 7% higher risk of stroke, and a 96% increased risk of heart failure.

Lead author of the study, Dr Rishi Caleyachetty, said “The idea of being healthily obese is a myth. Our work shows that so-called ‘metabolically healthy’ obese individuals are still at higher risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and heart failure than normal weight metabolically healthy individuals. The priority of health professionals regarding these patients should be to promote and facilitate weight loss, as it is with any other obese patient.”