Many overweight and obese people are metabolically healthy, while large numbers of slim people have health problems typically associated with obesity, a new study shows.

    一項新的研究顯示，許多超重和肥胖的人在新陳代謝上是健康的，而為數眾多的瘦人卻常常患有與肥胖有關的疾病。

    The findings, based on national health data collected from 5,440 adults, shows that weight often is not a reliable barometer for health. In addition to looking at height and weight, the study, published this week in The Archives of Internal Medicine, tracked blood pressure, “good” cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar and an inflammatory marker called c-reactive protein, all of which are viewed as indicators of cardiovascular health.

    這項成果是以5440名成人的國民健康數據為基礎進行研究的，結果顯示體重常常是一個不可靠的健康指標。這項研究將于本周發表在《內科學文獻集》上，其中除觀察體重和身高之外，還跟蹤觀測了血壓、“良好”的膽固醇、三酸甘油脂以及被稱為ｃ反應蛋白的炎癥標志物，所有這些被視為心血管的健康指標。

    Overall, thin people were still metabolically healthier than people who were overweight or obese. But being a normal weight was not a reliable indicator of health. In the study, about 24 percent of thin adults, or about 16 million people, posted unhealthy levels for at least two of the risk factors. 

    就總體而言，瘦人在代謝上仍比超重和肥胖的人健康。但正常的體重是一個不可靠的健康指標。這項研究中，大約24%的瘦人或大約一千六百萬人因危險因素中的兩項而達到不健康水平。

    By comparison, among the overweight, about half the people had two or more of the risk factors. But half of them were also metabolically healthy. And nearly one out of three obese people were also metabolically fit.

    通過比較，超重的人中，大約一半的人有兩項以上危險因素。但是他們中的一半人代謝上是健康的。近三分之一的胖人代謝是正常的。

    While it’s long been known that it’s better to be fit and fat than being thin and sedentary, the new data are believed to be the first time researchers have documented the unreliability of body size as an indicator for overall health. 

    當體重正常與肥胖勝于體瘦與久坐已早為人知之時，人們認為這些新的數據是研究人員破天荒地將體型大小列為全面健康的一個不可靠的指標。

    Study author MaryFran Sowers, a University of Michigan obesity researcher, told The Associated Press that the results show that stereotypes about body size can be misleading, and that even ‘’less voluptuous'’ people can have risk factors commonly associated with obesity. 

    研究報告作者瑪麗弗蘭*蘇厄斯（ MaryFran Sowers）是密歇根大學肥胖者研究員，她在接受美聯社采訪時說，結果顯示關于體型的老觀念能產生誤導，甚至還顯示“不太心寬體胖”的人可能具有通常與肥胖有關的危險因素。

    Dr. Sowers said that when it comes to weight and health risks, “We’re really talking about taking a look with a very different lens.'’ 

    談到體重與健康的風險時，蘇厄斯博士說：“我們正在談論的是要以截然不同的眼光看待此事。”