Summary
There’s emerging evidence that weight and health can be uncoupled. Many researchers and doctors—and broader societies—take it as given that obesity means ill health. In fact, some say, the two don’t inevitably go hand in hand. Researchers worldwide are studying genes, animal models, and humans to understand how factors such as the bodily distribution of fat and its nature can blunt or compound any health impacts of extra weight. The researchers are also working to define metabolically healthy obesity and examine how common it is and how long it persists. Beyond the research lies a knotty practical question: what the science means for people with obesity and the doctors they see.
