Fatties are a quarter more likely to develop heart disease even if they have NO other health issues

THE theory that overweight people can be healthy is a myth, a study found.

It discovered that carrying extra weight can increase the risk of heart disease by more than a quarter, even in those otherwise healthy.

Scientists instead advised people to maintain a body weight within the healthy range.

Previous studies revealed some fatties appeared to dodge the adverse effects of excess weight — high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

And so they were classified as “fat but fit”.

This time, Imperial College London and Cambridge University scientists looked at data for more than 500,000 people in ten European countries.

They found people ranked healthy but overweight — with a body mass index of 25 to 30 — had an increased coronary heart disease risk of 26 per cent. That rose to 28 per cent for those who were obese — 30-plus BMI — but healthy.

Dr Ioanna Tzoulaki said: “There is no longer this concept of healthy obese. Our study shows that people with excess weight who might be classed as healthy haven’t yet developed an unhealthy metabolic profile. That comes later in the timeline. Then they have an event, such as a heart attack.”