In their study, the largest study of its kind involving 1,317,713 men, the experts found that obese adults with high levels of aerobic fitness were 30 percent more at risk of dying prematurely than their slim counterparts who did little exercise.
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The Swedish researchers wanted to know whether there is a link between aerobic fitness in late adolescence and the risk of early death – and they were especially interested to see how a person’s weight fits into the equation.
Professor Nordstrom and his team tracked the study subjects for 30 years, before reaching their conclusion that being slim is the key for long-term health.
Findings were published in the December 20 issue of the International Journal of Epidemiology. And, for the most obese, even the highest levels of physical fitness couldn’t provide health benefits to offset the risks from obesity. The follow-up period averaged at 29 years.
The benefits of being very fit are well known.
Study author Professor Peter Nordstrom said: ‘Unfit normal weight individuals had 30% lower risk of death from any cause than did fit obese individuals.
Commenting on the latest study, Tam Fry, spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum, tells us: “Look at rugby forwards for proof that you can be fat and fit – but only so long as they are playing”. He said the findings challenged the idea that obese people could compensate for their mortality risk by doing plenty of exercise.
To conclude, the scientists believe having a low BMI is crucial to a long life. By crunching the data available, they found some normal factors: that the men in the highest fifth of aerobic fitness died at the lowest rates, and that the highest death rates were among those who were tied to alcohol and drug abuse.
Ministers are due to announce a new strategy in the New Year specifically addressing childhood obesity following accusations they have failed to act. They found their risk of developing heart disease and cancer was the same as slim adults who didn’t exercise.
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But others claim that being inactive is as harmful as smoking, and contributes to one in six of all deaths.
