Obesity Worse Than No Exercise: Study

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Recently, the new idea that being “fat but fit is okay" has been accepted by many people. However, a new study has challenged that thought and has proven that it is always better to have normal weight level than to be obese.

The study, which is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, has found that, although obese people have a high level of fitness, they are still 30 percent more likely to die earlier compared to normal-weighing people who don't have as much exercise.

“Unfit normal-weight individuals had a 30-per-cent lower risk of death from any cause than did fit obese individuals,” study co-author Prof. Peter Nordstrom, of Umea University in Sweden, said as per the National Post.

Earlier studies that investigated the link between low aerobic fitness -- that spring from a lack of exercise -- and health have mostly been carried out in older populations. This new study investigated its associations in a younger group of people.

For the study, the researchers analyzed a cohort of 1,317,713 Swedish men with the average age of 18 in the time period between 1969 to 1996. At baseline, these participants had to complete a high-intensity cycling test, only to stop when they experience fatigue. They were constantly monitored for both obesity and mortality later in life. These men were followed until they died or until Dec. 31, 2012.

It was found that men in the highest fifth of fitness had a 48 percent lower risk of all-cause death compared to those who were in the lowest fifth. Stronger associations were also found between deaths related to suicide, alcohol abuse and narcotics.

The researchers also unexpectedly found a strong connection between low aerobic fitness and trauma-related deaths. For this, they still don't have any explanation.

"We could only speculate, but genetic factors could have influenced these associations given that aerobic fitness is under strong genetic control," Nordstrom said in a press release.

The researchers also challenged the “fat but fit” idea and found that, regardless of their aerobic fitness level, normal-weighing men are still at lower risks of death compared to obese men, even if these belong to the highest level of aerobic fitness.

Although the study has these findings, aerobic fitness continues to have benefits especially for the obese. However, in this study, it was found that the health benefits that exercise brings have been reduced by obesity and have been totally negated by extreme obesity.