Daily Health News Blog

Everyone knows that it's unhealthy to be overweight or, especially, obese. But what if you are physically fit? Could fitness cancel out the health risks? Some studies suggest this, including a recent one in  Circulation . The study looked at 14,345 middle-aged men; 47 percent were overweight, another 10 percent obese. Those who maintained their cardiorespiratory (aerobic) fitness levels during a six-year period were 30 percent less likely to die over the next decade, notably from heart disease, or stroke, than those who became less fit; those who became fitter, 40 percent less likely. This was true regardless of their weight status. Simply put, overweight or obese men who became fitter, on average, fared as well as or better than lean men who became less fit. So fitness may trump weight when it comes to life expectancy. Some previous research found this is less true for women, however, and it may not apply to very obese people, who were underrepresented in this study. Sti