Healthy hearts in fat bodies

They found less than 10 percent of healthy obese people in their 50s and 60s without risk factors for heart disease went on to develop heart failure over six years. By contrast, 16 percent of their slimmer peers, also without the suite of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome, ended up with the debilitating condition.The new study, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that fat people arent always unhealthy. But that doesnt mean they get a free pass to gorge on cheeseburgers and French fries, researchers warn, because the extra weight may take a toll down the road.What’s more, the new study was based on people who had no signs of heart disease or diabetes to begin with, and so might not represent the majority of heavy people. But metabolic syndrome made a big difference in who experienced heart failure, even after accounting for smoking, physical activity and other factors tied to heart disease.For instance, 63 percent of normal-weight people with metabolic syndrome developed heart failure, compared with 16 percent of those without the syndrome.