Metabolically healthy obesity or metabolically-healthy obesity (MHO) is a disputed
[ medical condition characterized by ]obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
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 an abnormal amount of lipids (e.g. triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids) in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ( ASCVD). ASCVD includes coronary ar ...
, impaired glucose tolerance
Prediabetes is a component of the 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 obesit ...
,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 syndrome ...
.adipose tissue
Adipose tissue, body fat, or simply fat is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. In addition to adipocytes, adipose tissue contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular e ...
, smaller adipocyte
Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes and fat cells, are the 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 adipogenesis. I ...
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, 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 urination, ...
, depressive symptoms
Depression is a mental state of low Mood (psychology), mood and aversion to activity, which affects more than 280 million people of all ages (about 3.5% of the global population). Classified medically as a mental disorder, mental and Abnor ...
, 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 adipocytes.
In humans, the healthy amount of white adipose ti ...
function between the two groups.
See also
* Health at Every Size
Health at Every Size (HAES) is an approach to public health that seeks to de-emphasise weight loss as a health goal, and reduce stigma towards people who are overweight or obese. Proponents argue that traditional interventions focused on weight ...
References
{{Reflist
Obesity
Pseudoscience