¿Existe el obeso sano? / Are there healthy obese?

Se postula actualmente que no todos los obesos tienen que considerarse como individuos patológicos. Entre un 10 y un 20% de los obesos estudiados no tienen las alteraciones metabólicas habituales en este tipo de pacientes. Se acuña el término de «obeso sano» para denominar a estos y diferenciarlos del colectivo más amplio y común de obesos patológicos. A pesar de todo, no está bien acotada la definición de «obeso sano». Utilizar «obeso sano» como sinónimo de obeso sin complicaciones metabólicas es arriesgado. Se utilizan marcadores clínicos como la resistencia insulínica para identificar esta enfermedad. No está claro que el obeso sano tenga una menor morbimortalidad que el obeso patológico. Según algunos autores, el obeso sano sería un estadio inicial hacia la evolución al estado de obesidad patológica. No hay unanimidad en la necesidad o no de tratar al obeso sano

It is currently postulated that not all obese individuals have to be considered as pathological subjects. From 10% to 20% of obese people studied do not show the metabolic changes common in obese patients. The term «healthy obese» has been coined to refer to these patients and differentiate them from the larger and more common group of pathological obese subjects. However, the definition of «healthy obese» is not clear. Use of «healthy obese» as a synonym for obese without metabolic complications is risky. Clinical markers such as insulin resistance are used to identify this pathology. It is not clear that healthy obese subjects have lower morbidity and mortality than pathologically obese patients. According to some authors, healthy obese would represent an early stage in evolution towards pathological obesity. There is no agreement as to the need to treat healthy obese subjects

Are there healthy obese?

It is currently postulated that not all obese individuals have to be considered as pathological subjects. From 10% to 20% of obese people studied do not show the metabolic changes common in obese patients. The term "healthy obese" has been coined to refer to these patients and differentiate them from the larger and more common group of pathological obese subjects. However, the definition of "healthy obese" is not clear. Use of "healthy obese" as a synonym for obese without metabolic complications is risky. Clinical markers such as insulin resistance are used to identify this pathology. It is not clear that healthy obese subjects have lower morbidity and mortality than pathologically obese patients. According to some authors, healthy obese would represent an early stage in evolution towards pathological obesity. There is no agreement as to the need to treat healthy obese subjects.