Being overweight has always been seen as a bad thing but research published in the European Health Journal has challenged that assumption.
A study of more than 43,000 US people has found that it is possible for obese people to be at no greater risk of cancer or heart disease than normal weight people, as long as they are metabolically fit. This means they need to exercise regularly and have no signs of high cholesterol, blood pressure or raised blood sugar levels.
A team of German researchers have also challenged the use of the Body Mass Index (BMI) because it does not distinguish between fat and muscle. Using the BMI on its own leads athletes to be classed as obese due to their high muscle mass.
It is so easy to get obsessed with the numbers on your weighing scales, but the important numbers are your waist measurement and your blood pressure. It's not your weight that is important, it's where you carry your fat. If you are apple shaped and carry your excess fat around your middle then this puts you at risk of heart disease, because the fat cells at waist level are active and produce toxic substances that your heart can't handle.
Of course the advice from the medical profession remains the same, that obesity is a bad thing and can seriously damage your health. Even if you are considered metabolically fit today, the bigger you become the more likely it is that your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels will rise.
You don't need to work out five or six hours a day like the contestants on The Biggest Loser to improve your health. Simply watching what you eat and including 15 to 20 minutes of exercise into your daily routine will help keep you healthy on the inside, and over time you'll start to drop those extra pounds too.
