21 Nov Metabolically healthy obese still at increased risk of diabetes, heart disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Carlos Lorenzo, MD
Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center
7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, Texas 78229
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Lorenzo: Metabolically healthy obese individuals are at increased risk of developing of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. These findings were demonstrated in men and women and in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
Management of excess weight and any metabolic abnormality appears to be important for all individuals.
Our study is also in agreement with previous studies that indicate that metabolically unhealthy normal weight individuals are at increased risk of developing of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
MedicalResearch.com: Were any of the findings unexpected?
Dr. Lorenzo: There is conflicting evidence regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality associated with the metabolically healthy obese phenotype.
Our results suggest that the metabolically healthy obese phenotype is not a benign condition (at least not always). Our study also adds information of the risk of diabetes in these individuals.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Lorenzo: Physicians must not be overly complacent in assessing future cardiometabolic risk in metabolically healthy obese individuals. Normal weight individuals are also at increased risk if they are metabolically unhealthy (if they have multiple metabolic risk factors).
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Lorenzo: An expert consensus is needed to characterize both phenotypes: metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy normal weight.
To determine how to detect non-obese individuals who will develop the metabolically healthy obese phenotype vs. the metabolically unhealthy obese phenotype
To examine the metabolic stability over time of the metabolically healthy obese phenotype.
Citation:
Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center
KoKo Aung, Carlos Lorenzo, Marco A. Hinojosa, and Steven M. Haffner
JCEM jc.2013-2832; doi:10.1210/jc.2013-2832
Last Updated on April 16, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD