Being fit is not an effective way to counteract obesity, according to a study which has taken nearly 30 years and reports its findings today.
The Swedish researchers say their findings refute the idea of "fat but fit" – that fitness is more important than weight control.
Their study found that men of normal weight but limited fitness had lower mortality rates than the fittest obese men.
The research involved some 1.3 million men in Sweden tracked for a median period of 29 years after being tested for fitness and measured for weight.
The project involved measuring aerobic fitness of the men in their late adolescence using a cycling test. This showed that mortality rates of the fittest men were half those of the least fit men.
Reporting in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the researchers admit the findings do not allow for the impact of changes in weight, fitness and lifestyle later in the lives of the men.
The researchers, from Umea University, Sweden, write: "Low aerobic fitness in late adolescence is associated with an increased risk of early death.
"Furthermore, the risk of early death was higher in fit obese individuals than in unfit normal-weight individuals."
Aerobic fitness in late adolescence and the risk of early death: A prospective cohort study of 1.3 million Swedish men International Journal of Epidemiology 21 December 2015; doi: 10.1093/ije/dyv321
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