As global obesity rates, measured by Body Mass Index (BMI), continue to rise, weight loss has become a focal point in global health, giving rise to a new generation of weight loss drugs. However, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine reveals that, compared to BMI, cardiorespiratory fitness plays a more significant role in predicting cardiovascular diseases and overall mortality.
Researchers from the University of Virginia in the United States found that regardless of BMI, individuals with good health face similar risks of dying from all cardiovascular diseases. Across all BMI levels, individuals in poor health have two to three times higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates than those in good health. In fact, compared to individuals with a normal weight, those who are obese but healthy have a significantly lower risk of mortality.
The researchers emphasize that from a mortality risk perspective, health outweighs weight significantly. The study indicates that the risk of death for healthy obese individuals is similar to that of healthy individuals with a normal weight, but about half as low as unhealthy individuals with a normal weight.
This study reviewed 20 studies with a total sample size of 397,000 adults from multiple countries. Approximately one-third of the study participants were female, a proportion nearly three times higher than in previous studies. In most studies, participants who scored in the top 20% of their age group on exercise stress tests (estimated or directly measured maximum oxygen intake) were classified as healthy individuals.
Weight Loss May Not Be the Key to Health: Recent Research Reveals
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