"...the concept of healthy obesity is crude and problematic and may best be laid to rest..."

Is There Such a Thing as ‘Healthy Obesity’?

A new research paper states that the term should be retired. Other experts say the assumption obese people are unhealthy causes a variety of problems.

Johnson explains that the term “healthy obesity” is flawed since people who are obese, even those who are “metabolically” healthy, are still at increased risk for a host of health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and overall increased risk of mortality.

“While the concept of healthy obesity is crude and problematic and may best be laid to rest, there is great opportunity for human biological investigation of the levels, causes, and consequences of heterogeneity in health among people with the same BMI,” Johnson said, pointing out people with the same BMI can have different health risks.