Skip to main content

Metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy non-obese phenotypes in a Russian population

European Journal of Epidemiology volume 32, pages 251–254 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Introduction

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy non-obese (MUNO) phenotypes in Russian population.

Design and methods

In cross-sectional epidemiology survey “Epidemiology of cardiovascular diseases and its risk factors in some regions of the Russian Federation” a random sampling of 21,121 subjects (25–65 years), stratified by age and sex was involved. Anthropometry, blood pressure (BP) measurement and fasting blood-tests (glucose, lipids) were performed according to standard protocols. Criteria for MHO—body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 and ≤2 of markers: HDL < 1.30 (females)/1.04 (males) mmol/l; triglycerides ≥1.7 mmol/l; glucose ≥5.6 mmol/l or treatment; waist >88 (females)/102 (males) cm and BP ≥ 130/85 mm Hg or therapy. Criteria for MUNO was BMI < 30 kg/m2 and ≥2 markers listed above. Simple tabulations, descriptive statistics, post-stratification weights and logistic regression were used for analyses.

Results

MHO phenotype was detected in 2856 (41.5%) obese people; MUNO phenotype—in 4762 (34.4%) non-obese subjects. Aging was negatively associated with MHO and positively with MUNO prevalence. Gender was registered as determinant only of MUNO probability. No dramatic differences in lifestyle risk factors between 3 BMI groups (lean, overweight, obese) were found out.

Conclusion

Half of obese Russian inhabitants are metabolically healthy. At the same time, metabolic abnormalities were detected in one third of non-obese participants with a shift to male gender.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Schienkiewitz A, Schulze MB, Hoffmann K, Kroke A, Boeing H. Body mass index history and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)—Potsdam study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:427–33.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bluher M. The distinction of metabolically ‘healthy’ from ‘unhealthy’ obese individuals. Curr Opin Lipidol. 2010;21(1):38–43.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Eckel N, Mühlenbruch K, Meidtner K, Boeing H, Stefan N, Schulze MB. Characterization of metabolically unhealthy normal-weight individuals: risk factors and their associations with type 2 diabetes. Metabolism. 2015;64(8):862–71.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Oliveros E. The concept of normal weight obesity. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56(4):426–33.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Sims EA. Are there persons who are obese, but metabolically healthy? Metabolism. 2001;50(12):1499–504.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Samocha-Bonet D, Chisholm DJ, Tonks K, Campbell LV, Greenfield JR. Insulin-sensitive obesity in humans—a ‘favorable fat’ phenotype? Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2012;23:116–24.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Berezina A, Belyaeva O, Berkovich O, Baranova E, Karonova T, Bazhenova E, et al. Prevalence, risk factors, and genetic traits in metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese individuals. Biomed Res Int. 2015;. doi:10.1155/2015/548734.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Yoo HK, Choi EY, Park EW, Cheong YS, Bae RA. Comparison of metabolic characteristics of metabolically healthy but obese (MHO) middle-aged men according to different criteria. Korean J Fam Med. 2013;34:19–26.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Gonçalves CG, Glade MJ, Meguid MM. Metabolically healthy obese individuals: key protective factors. Nutrition. 2016;32(1):14–20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hinnouho GM, Czernichow S, Dugravot A, Nabi H, Brunner EJ, Kivimaki M, Singh-Manoux A. Metabolically healthy obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes: the Whitehall II cohort study. Eur Heart J. 2015;36(9):551–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Almazov North-West Federal Medical Research Centre, Akkuratova street 2, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

    Oxana Rotar, Maria Boyarinova, Alexander Orlov, Vladislav Solntsev, Alexandra Konradi, Elena Baranova & Eugene Shlyakhto

  2. Russian Cardiology Research and Production Complex, 3rd Cherepkovskaya, 15 A, Moscow, Russia

    Yulia Zhernakova & Irina Chazova

  3. National Research Center for Preventive Medicine, Petroverigsky 10, Moscow, Russia

    Svetlana Shalnova, Alexander Deev & Sergey Boytsov

  4. University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, Kronverksky prospect 49, Saint-4 Petersburg, Russia

    Alexandra Konradi

Authors
  1. Oxana Rotar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Maria Boyarinova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alexander Orlov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vladislav Solntsev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yulia Zhernakova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Svetlana Shalnova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Alexander Deev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Alexandra Konradi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Elena Baranova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Irina Chazova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Sergey Boytsov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Eugene Shlyakhto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oxana Rotar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

No potentially competing interests are declared.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Rotar, O., Boyarinova, M., Orlov, A. et al. Metabolically healthy obese and metabolically unhealthy non-obese phenotypes in a Russian population. Eur J Epidemiol 32, 251–254 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-016-0221-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-016-0221-z

Keywords

  • Obesity
  • Metabolic health
  • Metabolically healthy obesity
  • Russian population