Authors

Lara L. Roberson, Center for Prevention and Wellness Research, Baptist Health Medical Group, Michigan Ave Suite 500, Miami Beach, FloridaFollow
Ehimen C. Aneni, Center for Prevention and Wellness Research, Baptist Health Medical Group, Michigan Ave Suite 500, Miami Beach, FloridaFollow
Wasim Maziak, Department of Epidemiology, Robert Stempel College of Public Health, Florida International University, Miami, FloridaFollow
Arthur Agatston, Center for Prevention and Wellness Research, Baptist Health Medical Group, Michigan Ave Suite 500, Miami Beach, FloridaFollow
Theodore Feldman, Center for Prevention and Wellness Research, Baptist Health Medical Group, Michigan Ave Suite 500, Miami Beach, FloridaFollow
Maribeth Rouseff, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FloridaFollow
Thinh Tran, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FloridaFollow
Michael J. Blaha, The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, Baltimore, Maryland
Raul D. Santos, Lipid Clinic Heart Institute, University of Sao Paulo Medical School Hospital, Sao Paulo, BrazilFollow
Andrei Sposito, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, State University of Campinas (Unicamp), Campinas, São Paulo, BrazilFollow
Mouaz H. Al-Mallah, King Abdul Aziz Cardiac Center, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaFollow
Ron Blankenstein, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsFollow
Matthew J. Budoff, Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Torrance, California
Khurram Nasir, Center for Prevention and Wellness Research, Baptist Health Medical Group, Michigan Ave Suite 500, Miami Beach, Florida; Department of Medicine, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; Department of Epidemiology, Robert Stempel College of Public Health, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, Baltimore, MarylandFollow

Date of this Version

1-8-2014

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Background

A subgroup has emerged within the obese that do not display the typical metabolic disorders associated with obesity and are hypothesized to have lower risk of complications. The purpose of this review was to analyze the literature which has examined the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality in the metabolically healthy obese (MHO) population.

Methods

Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from their inception until December 2012. Studies were included which clearly defined the MHO group (using either insulin sensitivity and/or components of metabolic syndrome AND obesity) and its association with either all cause mortality, CVD mortality, incident CVD, and/or subclinical CVD.

Results

A total of 20 studies were identified; 15 cohort and 5 cross-sectional. Eight studies used the NCEP Adult Treatment Panel III definition of metabolic syndrome to define “metabolically healthy”, while another nine used insulin resistance. Seven studies assessed all-cause mortality, seven assessed CVD mortality, and nine assessed incident CVD. MHO was found to be significantly associated with all-cause mortality in two studies (30%), CVD mortality in one study (14%), and incident CVD in three studies (33%). Of the six studies which examined subclinical disease, four (67%) showed significantly higher mean common carotid artery intima media thickness (CCA-IMT), coronary artery calcium (CAC), or other subclinical CVD markers in the MHO as compared to their MHNW counterparts.

Conclusions

MHO is an important, emerging phenotype with a CVD risk between healthy, normal weight and unhealthy, obese individuals. Successful work towards a universally accepted definition of MHO would improve (and simplify) future studies and aid inter-study comparisons. Usefulness of a definition inclusive of insulin sensitivity and stricter criteria for metabolic syndrome components as well as the potential addition of markers of fatty liver and inflammation should be explored. Clinicians should be hesitant to reassure patients that the metabolically benign phenotype is safe, as increased risk cardiovascular disease and death have been shown.

Comments

This article was originally published in Biomed Central: BMC Public Health.

Identifier

FIDC001530

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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