New research published online in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that individuals cannot be simultaneously overweight and physically fit.

As BMI rose, so did blood pressure, waist circumference and insulin resistance. As BMI increased, levels of HDL cholesterol, thought to protect against heart attack and stroke, decreased.

While participants who were either overweight or obese "may not yet have reached the points that define metabolic illness, they appeared to be on that road as their weight" increased.