Just imagine being capable of eating whatever you want, never caring about what your scale is showing and still knowing that you are perfectly healthy. But, is this actually possible?

Lately, we have seen an increase in people advocating the idea that the extra layer of fat that you gain from eating can actually be protective and have a generally positive effect on our bodies. What do you think?

Unfortunately, it is just a myth

Well, it turns out that the truth is exactly what we have expected. While having fat on your body is not a problem at all, being actually obese can bring almost no benefits to you while it will increase the risks of multiple chronic diseases. In a new study conducted by the combined forces of scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Imperial College in London, they have found that even those among the obese who were internally okay, in the sense of having normal levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and other markers of health, were still at a higher risk of heart disease than slim people.

How bad is it?

As we have already said, having some fat on you is perfectly fine. In fact, it is even preferable than trying to lose every single percent of fat from your body but being seriously overweight is simply not a good idea.

Ioanna Tzoulaki, one of the lead authors of the said study, has stated that the results of the study directly refute the entire concept of being healthily obese. The study, published in the European Heart Journal in August this year, found that the risk goes up by 26 percent for seriously overweight people and 28 percent for obese people. Still, that is only if those people have normal metabolic markers, cholesterol and blood pressure.

It is important to point out that this was no small study – the researchers have reached out and used data collected from over 500,000 people from all over Europe to come to this conclusion.

Delayed issues

Tzoulaki has also stated that if you are seriously overweight or obese, it could just be a matter of time until the unwanted symptoms appear. You can be officially healthy, with good levels all around but simply on the route to get sick.

The fact that your cholesterol is normal right now does not mean a lot, given the fact that fat tissue can raise it over time. You are also putting yourself at risk when it comes to inflammation markers that are connected with your arteries becoming stiff and narrow, thus leading to heart disease.

The ticking bomb

What you need to understand is that a lot of illnesses connected to your heart do not come over night. They develop over many years since that is the time that plaque needs to build up and thus decrease the blood flow.

Whether we like it or not, plaque will more often attach to your arteries when you, on daily basis, eat food high in fat, if you are not physically active, and especially if you are a smoker. Additionally, every little bit of plaque that builds up in your arteries is there to stay.

It is not too bad if you notice it in time as it can be managed through healthier lifestyle and meds. Both of those will reduce the chances of a plaque rupture, which is a common cause of a heart attack and if it seems like it is too late for meds, there are surgical procedures to open up your arteries.

The bit of truth

To be honest, there is a bit of truth when it comes to the idea of being fat and fit and, generally, people of all different weights tend to develop heart disease and suffer from heart attacks. If you are overweight but your cholesterol is within normal limits, you are in a safer place than someone who is slimmer but has an uncontrolled pressure. Of course, controlling your weight is a good way to help yourself but it is not quite true that just because you have more fat than someone else – they must be healthier.

The opposite might be true as well. So, remember – a bit of weight on your hips is not as detrimental as some would make you believe.