Study suggests obesity not always linked to cardiovascular disease

NEW YORK Here’s a surprise: Being overweight or obese might not put you at risk for heart disease, according to a study.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that more than 30 percent of obese Americans have good cardiovascular health and normal reactions to insulin, called benign obesity.

The study examined 5,440 people between 1999 and 2004 and found 31.7 percent of them metabolically healthy, meaning they did not have the diseases normally associated with obesity.