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why some with obesity avoid certain health risks

'not every individual with excess body weight is equally at risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases.'

do genes 'disconnect' obesity from certain health risks?
a new study looked at genes, body weight and cardiovascular and metabolic health. world obesity federation
though many people who live with obesity have health issues such as high blood pressure or high glucose levels in their blood, this is not always the case, and scientists have been unable to understand why. new research offers a possible explaination.

obesity is a chronic disease defined by excess body weight, particularly in the form of fat, which can lead to serious health issues. many studies have kept alive the debate over just how unhealthy excess weight can be. however, many advocates have pushed against fat shaming , asking for a more evidence-based approach to studying obesity that goes beyond simply telling people to eat less and move more. data showing that some people with larger bodies can in fact be classified as “healthy” has piqued the interest of some experts. in fact, the phenomenon has even spawned a new term: “ health obesity .”

in a quest to uncover the reasons behind how some people who are considered obese have good health, researchers, led by scientists at the university of copenhagen and icahn school of medicine at mount sinai, new york, zeroed in on genes.

their study, published in the journal nature metabolism in late february, identified a range of genes that could hold clues as to why some people living with obesity have healthy blood pressure and glucose and lipid levels (the news release cites scientists observing that in up to 45 per cent of people with obesity).

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looking at the health data of hundreds of thousands of people, the team focused on sections of the genome associated with both high levels of body fat and a lower risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
according to a the research, a specific range of genes “are linked to both elevated levels of body fat, as well as offering protection from some of the negative health impacts of obesity.” the genes may “disconnect” higher body fat from an elevated risk of health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. the genes were also associated with different functions, including energy and inflamation, the development of fat cells and the distribution of body fat.
“clearly, obesity is a complex disease and not every individual with excess body weight is equally at risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases. knowing which genes protect people from developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease will eventually help us better diagnose and treat individuals with obesity,” says professor ruth loos from the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai.
researchers hope it may lead to a more nuanced, targeted treatment of obesity.

according to the world health organization, the worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. estimates suggest roughly 650 million globally are affected by obesity. in canada , as many as 26.8 per cent of canadian adults, or roughly 7.3 million people,reported height and weight that classified them as obese.

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