Obese patients take note. According to a latest study, patients who have metabolically healthy obesity but are free from other metabolic risk factors may not be at an increased rate of mortality. Obesity is a condition involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. Several previous studies have pointed to the link between obesity and mortality, but if the findings of a latest study are to be believed, not many of them may have taken into account-metabolically healthy obesity- a medical condition characterized by obesity which does not produce metabolic complications.
The study was published in the journal Clinical Obesity. The findings revealed that unlike dyslipidemia, hypertension and diabetes -- each one of which is related to high mortality risk -- obesity alone does not pose any threat to life.
"We are showing that individuals with metabolically healthy obesity are actually not at an elevated mortality rate," said lead author Jennifer Kuk, Associate Professor at the York University in Canada.
"We found that a person of normal weight with no other metabolic risk factors is just as likely to die as the person with obesity and no other risk factors," Kuk added.
The team examined 54,089 men and women from five cohort studies who were categorized as having obesity alone or clustered with a metabolic factor, or elevated glucose, blood pressure or lipids alone or clustered with obesity or another metabolic factor.
As part of the study they looked at how many people within each group died as compared their conditions to those within the normal weight population with no metabolic risk factors.
The study revealed that one out of 20 individuals with obesity had no other metabolic abnormalities.
"This is in contrast with most of the literature and we think this is because most studies have defined metabolic healthy obesity as having up to one metabolic risk factor," said Kuk.
"This is clearly problematic, as hypertension alone increases your mortality risk and past literature would have called these patients with obesity and hypertension, 'healthy'. This is likely why most studies have reported that 'healthy' obesity is still related with higher mortality risk," Kuk noted.
Obesity is a complex condition which could trigger from a variety of reasons. Sometimes, two or more prevailing disorders in the body can also result in excessive accumulation of weight. While sometimes it is only because of poor dietary choices and sedentary lifestyle.
Here are some dietary tips recommended by consultant nutritionist Rupali Datta, who was not part of the study, to manage the condition better.
1. Swap refined carb sources for whole grains. A whole grain is a grain of any cereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. A whole grain manages to retain all the nutrients that are processed in the refining. Stock up on whole grains like bajra, ragi, maize and jowar and use them often. Try red, black and brown rice instead of white rice .You can use these whole grains for breakfast porridges.
2. Just like grains, whole dals are also a better bet than the washed dals. Rajma, and chana dals are some of the healthiest dals you can fill up your shelves with. You can cook them, have them in sprouts or in soups.
3. Avoid red meat and opt for lean meat like chicken and salmon. Adding protein with every meal could prove to be a game changer for anyone trying to lose weight.
4. Load up on seasonal vegetables. They provide both soluble and insoluble fibres in addition to vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
5. Stay away from trans fats as they are one of the biggest culprits of growing instances of obesity globally. Fast food, instant food, fried junk, cookies, pasta, burger and noodles- these trans-fats are spread all across us.
(With Inputs IANS)