Hormonal
Individuals with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) do not significantly improve their cardiovascular and metabolic risk profiles through standard weight loss interventions (lifestyle, pharmacological, or bariatric surgery) compared to metabolically unhealthy obese individuals.
If you are obese but metabolically healthy (normal blood pressure, sugar, and lipids), standard weight loss programs may not improve your metabolic health further and might even temporarily worsen insulin sensitivity. Your focus should be on maintaining your current metabolic health and addressing non-metabolic issues like joint pain or fitness, rather than expecting weight loss to 'cure' your metabolic profile.
Importantly, individuals with MHO do not significantly improve their cardio-metabolic risk upon weight loss interventions and may therefore not benefit to the same extent as obese patients with metabolic comorbidities from early lifestyle, bariatric surgery, or pharmacological interventions.
Why this rating
Based on multiple prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials cited in the review, though definitions of MHO vary.
Source
MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Are metabolically healthy obese individuals really healthy?
Matthias Blüher · European Journal of Endocrinology · 2014
DOI 10.1530/eje-14-0540
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