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Most people know someone who can eat anything with absolutely zero consequences on their weight. They rarely eat veggies, love chips, and haven’t exercised since compulsory P.E in high school.
While it’s tempting to be envious, doctors are now warning that you shouldn’t be. New research has revealed that this “skinny fat” lifestyle is more dangerous than previously thought.
The medical term for it is “MONW,” or Metabolically Obese Normal Weight, which translates to a person who is lean but has too much fat on them and not enough muscle.
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People with a fast metabolism may look like they are healthy, but they can have the exact same medical issues as someone who is obese (like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, sky rocketing blood pressure), and not realise it. Sometimes a person may not have a lot of fat stored up overall, but what they do have is the mostly visceral fat.
A shocking study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that nearly one in four skinny people have pre-diabetes and are “metabolically obese.”
Dr Ruth Hand, a General Practitioner at CarnBrae Medical Clinic, warns that a person’s weight should not always be an indicator of their health, particularly when they’re thin.
“If a skinny person eats too much junk food, they can still clog up their arteries. An overweight person who exercises well is probably fitter and healthier than a skinny person who does no exercise.” Dr Hand says.
Doctors say we are putting too much weight on weight.
As a society, we're obsessed with physical appearance, but it's crucial to remember that health goes well beyond the way we look.
Dr Hand says weight is just one clue doctors look for as an indicator of good health, and that your size may not be a good reflection for what is happening internally. What's worse is that if you have MONW and get diagnosed with diabetes, you have twice the risk of death than if you are overweight when diagnosed with diabetes.
"People who are thin generally think they're healthy, but if they do have diabetes, it’s not as reversible - for example if a fat person loses weight the diabetes generally goes away, but if a skinny person does, it can be much harder to get rid of," Dr Hand says.
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There are some important blood tests that you should have your doctor conduct if you are concerned you may have MONW, including:
- Fasting blood sugar or glucose test
- HDL test
- Triglycerides test
- Blood pressure
- You can also request a stress test if you are concerned about your arteries
If you're concerned you might have MONW, see your doctor to talk through your options.
Here are some of our favourite celebrities talking about body image...
We love these celeb quotes on body image
Rebel Wilson
The actress said on Twitter; "I'm not trying to be hot. I'm just trying to be a good actress and entertain people." Image via @rebelwilson
Lady Gaga
After the media focused on her alleged weight gain in September 2012, Gaga hit back at critics by baring her body in photographs, sharing her struggles with an eating disorder, and inviting her fans to join her in a "body revolution"/ Image via @ladygaga
Ashley Judd
After the March 2012 frenzy around Judd's "puffy face" the actress fought back in 'The Daily Beast', calling the media out for making women's bodies "a source of speculation, ridicule, and invalidation, as if they belong to others". Image via @ashley_judd
Christina Aguilera
"I am always in support of someone who is willing and comfortable in their own skin enough to embrace it," the singer said in a recent interview. Image via @xtina
Lena Dunham
At the 2012 New Yorker Festival, the magazine's TV critic, Emily Nussbaum, asked Lena Dunham, producer, creator and star of the hit HBO show 'Girls' why Dunham is naked in so many scenes. Dunham responded; "I realised that what was missing in movies for me was the presence of bodies I understood." She said she plans to live until she is 105 and show her thighs every day. Image via @lenadunham
Alexa Chung
Chung responded to critics who suggested that her slight frame made her a bad role model for young women, saying: "Just because I exist in this shape doesn't mean that I'm, like, advocating it." Image via Twitter @alexa_chung
Beth Ditto
This five-foot-tall, 200-pound singer spoke openly about her weight to 'The Advocate' saying, "I feel sorry ... for people who've had skinny privilege and then have it taken away from them. I have had a lifetime to adjust to seeing how people treat women who aren't their idea of beautiful and therefore aren't their idea of useful, and I had to find ways to become useful to myself." Image via @marybethditto
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