The common wisdom is that if you are overweight you are unhealthy, and if you are thin, you are healthy. But new research points to just how dangerous being skinny can be -- if you are a "skinny fat" person, that is.
The medical term for this is "MONW," or metabolically obese normal weight, which I prefer to refer to as being a skinny fat person. It means you are under lean but over fat -- not enough muscle and too much fat (especially belly fat). It seems it is better to be fat and fit than thin and out of shape.
While we know that 68 percent of the American population is overweight, and that most have diabesity -- being somewhere on the continuum of pre-diabetes to Type 2 diabetes -- the shocking news from a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association is that nearly 1 in 4 skinny people have pre-diabetes and are "metabolically obese."
What's worse is that if you are a skinny fat person and get diagnosed with diabetes, you have twice the risk of death than if you are overweight when diagnosed with diabetes. Perhaps having that extra muscle on your body from having to carry around those extra pounds protects you.
Studies on teenagers found that 37 percent of the skinny kids had one or more signs of pre-diabetes such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol. Wait -- almost four out of 10 normal-weight kids are pre-diabetic?
It is bad enough that one-third of kids are overweight or obese in America, but now it appears that only about 20 percent of children in America are healthy. In other words, 8 out of 10 children in America are overweight or have pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes.
In my medical practice I see this all the time. Jim came in for a "wellness check up" and felt happy about his weight. His BMI (or body mass index) was 22 (normal is 18 to 24.)
He never seemed to gain weight and felt he could "tolerate" a diet that included lots of bread, pasta, and sugar. He liked his two sodas a day and a few glasses of wine at night. He walked but didn't do much vigorous exercise or weight training.
When we looked under the hood we found he had a blood sugar of 117 mg/dl (pre-diabetes), triglycerides of 350 mg/dl, and an HDL of 35 mg/dl. His blood pressure was 148/96 mmHg (normal is less than 110/75 mmHg).
And when we measured his insulin levels after taking a sugar drink, they were sky high. Insulin is the real culprit here -- it is the fat storage hormone. It stores belly fat and leads to hormonal and metabolic changes that cause muscle loss and inflammation, furthering the vicious cycle of pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes -- whether you are skinny or fat.
He was shocked to find out he had severe pre-diabetes and was a ticking time bomb for a heart attack, stroke, and even cancer and dementia. I treated Jim exactly the same way as my patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Get the Right Tests
So how do you know if you are a skinny fat person? There are a few criteria you can use that can help you identify yourself as having diabesity or being "skinny fat," including family history of Type 2 diabetes or early onset of heart disease (heart attack in relative under 50 years old), or even looking down and see a little pot belly. And if you are of Asian or Indian descent, you can get diabesity at a much lower body weight.
There are some important blood tests that you should have your doctor do:
But there are a few special tests your doctor may not do that you should insist on that tell the true story and help to detect diabesity much earlier. They are:
1. An insulin response test (what most doctors call a glucose tolerance test but with the addition of insulin measurements) that will:
2. NMR Lipid Particle Test (by LipoScience performed by LabCorp)
The Cure for the Skinny Fat Syndrome
The cure for the skinny fat syndrome is the same as the cure for someone who is overweight with diabesity. It is the subject of my latest book, The Blood Sugar Solution.
It is quite simple actually.
These latest facts are alarming because those of us who think we get a pass because we are thin need to take a second look at our health. You can still be skinny and sick and be metabolically obese, which in the end may be even more dangerous.
The good news is that this is a solvable problem. Getting tested and working through the 10 steps to being a skinny healthy person is a scientifically proven, effective way to change your biology quickly. And the side effects are all good: increased energy, better sleep and even better sex! For more information on how to reverse diabesity see The Blood Sugar Solution to get a free sneak peak.
Now I'd like to hear from you...
Please leave your thoughts by adding a comment below.
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
References:
Carnethon MR, De Chavez PJ, Biggs ML, Lewis CE, Pankow JS, Bertoni AG, Golden SH, Liu K, Mukamal KJ, Campbell-Jenkins B, Dyer AR. Association of weight status with mortality in adults with incident diabetes. JAMA. 2012 Aug 8;308(6):581-90.
Ribeiro JP, Schaan BD. Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2011 May 4;305(17):1790-9. Review.
Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.
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Skinny is not necessarily healthy and a fat person can be far more healthy than someone who is skinny-fat. Not sure why this isn't talked about more. Looks are very deceiving, BMI is what is really important and not necessarily one's weight on a scale.
This is exactly why most "Obesity prevention programs" at schools don't work. They just make overweight kids feel shame and underweight kids feel apathetic. We tend to tie health to weight which is a huge mistake. Skinny kids often feel that they can ignore their diet and physical activity just because they are "thin" which puts them at risk for all kinds of health issues. We need to stop focusing on weight and start focusing on health. www.fitvsfiction.com
The lipid particle test, is it more informative than measuring your HDL/LDL and HDL/total cholesterol ratio?
As for supplements, it's virtually impossible to find a good multi-vitamin, one that is well absorbed and doesn't long-term negative effects due to mega dosages of vitamins in it. Is it better to have more fruits and veggies then?
Also how do you ask to be tested for these things? Just phone a doctor say, I'm concerned and ask? I've never asked a doctor for blood tests...