Yes, it was possible. It is not joke.
Everyone has heard of the "obesity paradox." This is a phenomenon in which fat people die less often for some reason. This does not mean that fat is good for health, but in the situation "while the fat dries, the thin dies", obese people survive. That is, if two people died in the hospital, then sometimes the fat one will have an advantage.
After interesting stories about the "obesity paradox", reports of "healthy obesity" began to surface. This was the name of people who were overweight, but their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose were within normal limits. That is, it is not a matter of death, but of the general level of health.
And now this is not entirely clear. It turned out that overweight people under 45 were too often healthy. There are two obvious explanations.
Body mass index
We have already discussed the body mass index in the story about the correct measurement of the belly. If you do not measure the belly, then excess weight can be associated, for example, with well-developed muscles.
Time
Nowadays there are a lot of fat children with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Someday in old age they may have a heart attack, but it will not be soon. So the baby will grow up and will remain relatively healthy all the time until the age of 45.
There are still exceptions
Sumo wrestlers are usually remembered here. They are really fat people, but they train so hard that they have little harmful visceral fat in the abdominal cavity. That is, their subcutaneous fat hangs down, and glucose and cholesterol in the blood remain within decent limits.
Another classic example is the form of fat distribution. A pear-shaped female figure is less harmful to health than an apple shape.
How to be fat and healthy
So it turns out that, by fulfilling certain conditions, you can gain a decent amount of subcutaneous fat, but at the same time not spoil your health too much.
This requires regular physical activity, you need to eat right, quit smoking and instantly fulfill all the prescriptions of the attending physician, even if it is a handful of pills. This is the only way to simultaneously preserve both health and belly.
Check out my articles on related topics:
How to measure your belly correctly: recommendations of the World Health Organization
Lypedema is not lymphedema. It may even be useful
Adipose tissue secretes substances that damage joints
Metabolic syndrome
