Are You Metabolically Obese?

There's plenty of debate about which form of exercise is the "best" way to get in shape. Some argue in favor of aerobic exercise. Others contend that resistance exercise (such as lifting weights) is the right way to do it.

There is, however, a very good reason your program should include a combination of both. And it's one very few people know about.

You might not have heard of the term "metabolic obesity."

The concept of the metabolically obese, normal-weight individual was originally developed more than 20 years ago.

As the name suggests, metabolically obese, normal-weight individuals (MONW) have a normal weight based on traditional criteria. However, their blood sugar and insulin levels are far higher than would be expected based on their weight alone.

Interestingly, researchers have also identified people who are metabolically healthy, but obese (MHO). Despite having large amounts of body fat, these individuals demonstrate remarkably normal to high levels of insulin sensitivity and a favorable cardiovascular risk profile. According to some estimates, MHO individuals could account for as much as 2 out of 10 of the obese population [8].

The presence of MONW and MHO individuals shows that your external appearance doesn't always indicate your internal state of health.

One way of testing for metabolic obesity is to measure the rate at which sugar is cleared from your blood stream. The longer it takes your body to "dispose" of sugar, the more likely you are to be classed as metabolically obese.

In one study, researchers at the University of Vermont found signs of metabolic obesity in almost 2 out of 10 women, despite the fact they had a normal body weight [1].

In fact, there was very little difference between the women in terms of weight and body fat. The MONW women weighed slightly more (132 pounds) than the normal women (129 pounds). Their body fat percentage was also slightly higher (32% vs. 27%).

Despite a normal body weight, these young, apparently healthy women displayed a cluster of characteristics that, if left untreated, may eventually predispose them to type II diabetes and heart disease [2, 4].

If you want to beat metabolic obesity, one of the best ways to do it is with a combination of resistance and aerobic exercise.

Both forms of exercise increase the ability of your body to remove sugar from the blood [2]. However, they work in a slightly different way.

When you train with weights, you gain muscle. And it's this extra muscle that helps to clear the sugar (also called blood glucose) from your blood.

Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, enhances glucose uptake independently of changes in muscle mass, increasing both the number and function of glucose transporters. These help to transport sugar from the blood into the muscle.

That's why I think your program should include both types of exercise. Even if weight loss isn't a priority, I think it's a good idea to do some form of resistance and aerobic exercise on a regular basis.

I recommend a minimum of two cardiovascular workouts and two bouts of resistance exercise each week. And you don't need to spend hours in the gym if you don't want to. With the right program, your workouts won't need to last more than 30-45 minutes.

About The Author Christian Finn holds a masters degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and a regular contributor to Men's Health, Men's Fitness and other popular fitness magazines. If you're stuck in a rut with your current exercise and diet plan... fed up with only losing a pound here and there... or still skinny after months (or even years) of trying to build muscle and gain weight... click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.

References
1. Dvorak, R.V., DeNino, W.F., Ades, P.A., & Poehlman, E.T. (1999). Phenotypic charcteristics associated with insulin resistance in metabolically obese but normal-weight young women. Diabetes, 48, 2210-2214
2. Poehlman, E.T., Dvorak, R.V., DeNino, W.F., Brochu, M., & Ades, P.A. (2000). Effects of resistance training and endurance training on insulin sensitivity in nonobese, young women: a controlled randomized trial. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 85, 2463-2468
3. Ferrara, C.M., McCrone, S.H., Brendle, D., Ryan, A.S., & Goldberg, A.P. (2004). Metabolic effects of the addition of resistive to aerobic exercise in older men. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 14, 73-80
4. Selvin, E., Marinopoulos, S., Berkenblit, G., Rami, T., Brancati, F.L., Powe, N.R., & Golden, S.H. (2004). Meta-analysis: glycosylated hemoglobin and cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus. Annals of Internal Medicine, 141, 421-431
5. Conus, F., Allison, D.B., Rabasa-Lhoret, R., St-Onge, M., St-Pierre, D.H., Tremblay-Lebeau, A., & Poehlman, E.T. (2004). Metabolic and behavioral characteristics of metabolically obese but normal-weight women. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 89, 5013-5020
6. Convit, A., Wolf, O.T., Tarshish, C., & de Leon, M.J. (2003). Reduced glucose tolerance is associated with poor memory performance and hippocampal atrophy among normal elderly. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 100, 2019-2022
7. St-Onge, M.P., Janssen, I., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2004). Metabolic syndrome in normal-weight Americans: new definition of the metabolically obese, normal-weight individual. Diabetes Care, 27, 2222-2228
8. Karelis, A.D., St-Pierre, D.H., Conus, F., Rabasa-Lhoret, R., & Poehlman, E.T. (2004). Metabolic and body composition factors in subgroups of obesity: what do we know? Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 89, 2569-2575