Is it possible to be metabolically healthy and overweight or obese? In this episode, we discuss the science of what makes fat healthy or unhealthy. We discuss how metabolic dysfunction in fat tissue can affect the rest of the body. We also review evidence pertaining to the “obesity paradox” and explore explanations for the associations of body mass index (BMI) and changes in the risk of disease complications and mortality. We discuss how metrics of central obesity can be used to obtain a better picture of an individual’s metabolic health. Lastly, we discuss the critical link between exercise capacity and future health, as well as how to begin to transform our existing fat stores into a healthier state.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:50 – Healthy Obesity as an Idea
02:36 – Concepts of Healthy vs. Unhealthy Fat
02:59 – Subcutaneous, Visceral, and Ectopic Fat
05:22 – Adipocyte Hypertrophy
06:36 – Fat Cell Insulin Resistance
08:19 – The Obesity Paradox
12:23 – BMI & Age
13:53 – Bariatric Surgery
15:51 – Limitations of BMI
16:26 – Lifetime Maximal BMI
16:37 – Metrics of Central Adiposity
18:30 – Metabolically Healthy Obesity
21:38 – Exercise & Metabolically Healthy Obesity
22:36 – Improving the Health of Fat
24:03 – Exercise Capacity & Risk of Death
25:29 – Zone 2 Training
26:51 – The Effects of Weight Loss (Fat Loss)
27:55 – Summary
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