Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity
Authors: Gerson T. Lesser
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Letters1 April 2014Metabolically Healthy Overweight and ObesityGerson T. Lesser, MDGerson T. Lesser, MDFrom New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L14-5007-4 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITORKramer and colleagues (1) and Hill and Wyatt (2) suggest that healthy obesity is a myth. However, there are problems with the data and, more important, with the concepts. Two large studies (3, 4) included in Kramer and colleagues' review represent approximately 90% of participants followed for 10 years. Compared with metabolically healthy normal-weight participants, metabolically healthy obese participants in 1 study had a mortality rate just short of significance and in the other study had an RR of 1.00—hardly “strong evidence” (2).That obesity has come to be defined as higher BMI rather than demonstrated excess ...References1. Kramer CK, Zinman B, Retnakaran R. Are metabolically healthy overweight and obesity benign conditions?: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:758-69. [PMID: 24297192] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Hill JO, Wyatt HR. The myth of healthy obesity [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2013;159:789-90. [PMID: 24297199] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Song Y, Manson JE, Meigs JB, Ridker PM, Buring JE, Liu S. Comparison of usefulness of body mass index versus metabolic risk factors in predicting 10-year risk of cardiovascular events in women. Am J Cardiol. 2007;100:1654-8. [PMID: 18036364] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ogorodnikova AD, Kim M, McGinn AP, Muntner P, Khan U, Wildman RP. Incident cardiovascular disease events in metabolically benign obese individuals. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20:651-9. [PMID: 21799477] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Lesser GT, Deutsch S, Markofsky J. Use of independent measurement of body fat to evaluate overweight and underweight. Metabolism. 1971;20:792-804. [PMID: 5568419] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gerson T. Lesser, MDAffiliations: From New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.Disclosures: None disclosed. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L14-0025. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAre Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Benign Conditions? Caroline K. Kramer , Bernard Zinman , and Ravi Retnakaran Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Jean-Philippe Chaput and Arya M. Sharma Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Dorit Samocha-Bonet , Antony D. Karelis , and Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Nathalie Esser , André J. Scheen , and Nicolas Paquot Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Juhee Cho , Yoosoo Chang , and Seungho Ryu Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Katherine M. Flegal Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Caroline K. Kramer , Bernard Zinman , and Ravi Retnakaran Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Dorit Samocha-Bonet , Antony D. Karelis , and Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Nathalie Esser , André J. Scheen , and Nicolas Paquot Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Katherine M. Flegal Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Caroline K. Kramer , Bernard Zinman , and Ravi Retnakaran Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Juhee Cho , Yoosoo Chang , and Seungho Ryu Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Jean-Philippe Chaput and Arya M. Sharma Metrics 1 April 2014Volume 160, Issue 7Page: 514-515KeywordsAdipose tissueBody mass indexBody weightConflicts of interestDeath ratesFatsMortalityObesityOverweight ePublished: 1 April 2014 Issue Published: 1 April 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...