ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of the young Korean obese but metabolically healthy subjects and to identify the factors associated with metabolic health status among them. METHODS: We reviewed the medical record of South-Korea Navy soldiers at 1st marine division with routine medical examination. Within this population, we selected obese subjects whose body mass index (BMI) were more than 25 kg/m². The clinical characteristics between obese subjects with metabolically healthy and unhealthy factors were retrospectively compared. RESULTS: Of the 1,522 subjects with medical record, 319 (20.9%) subjects were identified as obese. Among them, 60 subjects (18.8%) were classified as metabolically unhealthy, whereas 259 (81.2%) subjects were metabolically healthy. Multivariate analysis revealed that higher BMI (odds ratio, OR 1.26, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.07-1.49), higher alanine transaminase (ALT) (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06), and drinking alcohol (OR 3.65, 95% CI 1.02-13.02) were associated with metabolically unhealthy status in obese subjects. Meanwhile, regular physical activity was associated with metabolically healthy status in obese subjects. (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.17-0.62) CONCLUSION: This study found that higher BMI, higher ALT, and drinking alcohol were related to metabolically unhealthy status in young Korean obese subjects; meanwhile, regular physical activity was related to metabolically healthy status.