No, You CAN’T Be Fat And Fit, Say The Experts

Being fat but fit is a myth,
scientists claim. If you are overweight, doing lots of exercise will not
prevent an early death. Researchers say it is far more important to be slim, even
if you are unfit.

For years experts have believed it
is possible to be ‘fat but fit’ and still relatively healthy. Heavier adults
have assumed that those few extra pounds didn’t matter as long as they took
regular exercise. But findings from a Swedish study of more than 1.3 million
men suggest they were wrong.

Professor Peter Nordstrom, from
Umea University, looked at the records of men for an average of 29 years from
when they were 18 to adulthood.

They had all joined the armed forces, which involved
undertaking a fitness test on an exercise bike when they signed up. The men had
also been weighed and measured, which enabled researchers to calculate whether
they were obese.

Professor Nordstrom and his team then looked at the men’s
records to see who had since died from illnesses including cancer and heart
disease.

They found that men who were fit were generally far less
likely to die than if they were inactive. But this effect was cancelled out if
they were overweight.