Being 'fat but fit' isn't really possible, study says - New York Post

Physical activity does nothing to cancel the harmful effects of excess body weight on cardiovascular health, according to a bombshell study published Thursday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

The findings contradict previous studies concluding that maintaining physical activity could lessen the effects of extra body weight on heart health.

“This was the first nationwide analysis to show that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat.

“Our study sought to clarify the links between activity, body weight, and heart health.”.

They were categorized by activity level and body weight — with some 42 percent classified as normal weight with a body mass index (BMI) of 20 to 24.9.

The research team then examined the associations between BMI, level of physical activity, and high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes — the three of which carry big risks for heart attack and stroke.

They found that across all BMI measurements, any physical activity was linked to a lower likelihood of diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure when compared to no exercise at all.

“This tells us that everyone, irrespective of their body weight, should be physically active to safeguard their health,” said Lucia.

When compared to inactive normal-weight adults, physically active obese people were still about twice as likely to have high cholesterol, four times more likely to have diabetes and five times more likely to have high blood pressure