Why is it considered unhealthy if someone is overweight even if all their blood tests, blood pressure, etc. all come back at healthy levels?

Question

Assumimg that being overweight is due to fat, not muscle.

In: 1317

Answer 1

Quick perspective from a doctor:

Blood tests and vital signs do not tell everything.

Sure we use parameters such as vital signs, blood cholesterol and fasting glucose levels for screening of certain certain diseases, but there are a whole host of conditions that obesity predisposes to that we would miss on routine tests.

Some examples:
– There is no blood test for obstructive sleep apnea. You need to do a sleep study.
– Coronary artery disease is ideally screened with an angiogram/stress test. Your normal cholesterol level will not rule this out.
– Increased cancer risk. Many different ways to screen for cancer but none/few that are done on routine checks in the younger population.

We already know obesity is associated with an increased mortality – anyone overweight (or under) should aim to bring their BW into normal BMI range even if their doctor tells them that everything is okay – because we will always miss things.