There is a misconception that skinny people are fit and healthy while obese people are at greater risk of nasty, debilitating diseases.
And we can’t be more right.
A recent article published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine put this thought to rest as they discovered that a good number of non-active individuals with a healthy weight may be at risk of type 2 diabetes. The statistics from 2012 revealed that a little over than a third of the U.S. population with a healthy weight had prediabetes. (Though you can’t tell my body shape, but I’m a fairly scrawny looking gal. So damn this study!)
The Study
Have you heard of normal-weight obesity? This term is used to characterize people with a normal body weight index (BMI), but a high percentage of body fat and low lean muscle mass.
Needless to say that, apart from weight loss, physical activity does wonders for the body: stress relief, strong bones, muscle strength, and the list can go on. Without a doubt, exercise is a natural, cheap all-star treatment to countless (I’m refraining to myself to say all) diseases.
The authors of this study sought to assess the link between the level of physical activity and abnormal blood sugar in more than 1000 participants aged 20 or older.
The results revealed that abnormal blood sugar was seen in about 25% of the people with a low level of physical activity, which is two times less compared to active individuals. Similar results were observed when the authors compared the glycemia of inactive vs. active participants.
These findings come to show that individual blessed with a healthy weight may not be so metabolically.
Beyond weight loss, other benefits of physical activity include:
- Improve insulin sensitivity
- Increase muscle strength
- Shed off visceral adiposity
- Cheap, natural, and effective medicine!
Bottom line: Just because you are skinny, you are not immune to diabetes and other malicious diseases. Regardless of the number on the scale, everyone should strive to be (and stay) active.
(What are you doing still reading this article? Go out and get moving!)
