Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is a disputed
[ medical condition characterized by ]obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...
which does not produce metabolic complications.
Characteristics
No universally accepted criteria exist to define putative MHO,[ but definitions generally require the patient to be obese and to lack metabolic abnormalities such as ]dyslipidemia
Dyslipidemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high or low amounts of any or all lipids (e.g. fats, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids) or lipoproteins in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of ...
, impaired glucose tolerance
Prediabetes is a component of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by elevated blood sugar levels that fall below the threshold to diagnose diabetes mellitus. It usually does not cause symptoms, but people with prediabetes often have obesity ( ...
,metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of at least three of the following five medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Metabolic syndro ...
.adipose tissue
Adipose tissue (also known as body fat or simply fat) is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. It also contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, Blood vessel, vascular endothel ...
, smaller adipocyte
Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes and fat cells, are the cell (biology), cells that primarily compose adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat. Adipocytes are derived from mesenchymal stem cells which give rise to adipocytes through ...
s, and a reduced inflammatory profile relative to metabolically unhealthy obese individuals.[ As a result, it has been argued that cardiometabolic risk might not improve significantly as a result of weight loss interventions.
]
Epidemiology
Prevalence estimates of MHO have varied from 6 to 75 percent, and it has been argued that between 10 and 25 percent of obese individuals are metabolically healthy. One study found that 47.9% of obese people had MHO, while another found that 11% did.[ It seems to be more prevalent in women than men, and its prevalence decreases with age.
]
Outcomes
Some research suggests that metabolically healthy obese individuals are at an increased risk of several adverse outcomes when compared to individuals of a normal weight, including type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...
, depressive symptoms
Depression is a mental state of low mood and aversion to activity. It affects about 3.5% of the global population, or about 280 million people worldwide, as of 2020. Depression affects a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, and sense o ...
, and cardiovascular events. Other research also suggests that although MHO individuals display a favorable metabolic profile, this does not necessarily translate into a decrease in mortality. Research to date has produced conflicting results with respect to cardiovascular disease and mortality. MHO individuals are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to metabolically healthy non-obese individuals, but they are also at a lower risk thereof than individuals who are both unhealthy and obese. A 2016 meta-analysis found that MHO individuals were not at an increased risk of all-cause mortality (but were at an increased risk of cardiovascular events). The relatively low risk of cardiovascular disease among people with MHO relative to metabolically unhealthy obese people has been attributed to differences in white adipose tissue
White adipose tissue or white fat is one of the two types of adipose tissue found in mammals. The other kind is brown adipose tissue. White adipose tissue is composed of monolocular Adipocyte, adipocytes.
In humans, the healthy body fat percent ...
function between the two groups.
See also
* Health at Every Size
References
{{Reflist
External links
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-who-are-fat-and-healthy-may-hold-keys-to-understanding-obesity/
Classification of obesity