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.

    一项新的研究显示，许多超重和肥胖的人在新陈代谢上是健康的，而为数众多的瘦人却常常患有与肥胖有关的疾病。

    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.

    这项成果是以5440名成人的国民健康数据为基础进行研究的，结果显示体重常常是一个不可靠的健康指标。这项研究将于本周发表在《内科学文献集》上，其中除观察体重和身高之外，还跟踪观测了血压、“良好”的胆固醇、三酸甘油脂以及被称为ｃ反应蛋白的炎症标志物，所有这些被视为心血管的健康指标。

    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. 

    就总体而言，瘦人在代谢上仍比超重和肥胖的人健康。但正常的体重是一个不可靠的健康指标。这项研究中，大约24%的瘦人或大约一千六百万人因危险因素中的两项而达到不健康水平。

    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.

    通过比较，超重的人中，大约一半的人有两项以上危险因素。但是他们中的一半人代谢上是健康的。近三分之一的胖人代谢是正常的。

    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. 

    当体重正常与肥胖胜于体瘦与久坐已早为人知之时，人们认为这些新的数据是研究人员破天荒地将体型大小列为全面健康的一个不可靠的指标。

    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. 

    研究报告作者玛丽弗兰*苏厄斯（ MaryFran Sowers）是密歇根大学肥胖者研究员，她在接受美联社采访时说，结果显示关于体型的老观念能产生误导，甚至还显示“不太心宽体胖”的人可能具有通常与肥胖有关的危险因素。

    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.'’ 

    谈到体重与健康的风险时，苏厄斯博士说：“我们正在谈论的是要以截然不同的眼光看待此事。”