Obesity phenotypes: normal-weight individuals with metabolic disorders versus metabolically healthy obese

According to recent studies, adipose tissue secretes a large number of bioactive proteins, which affect the whole body metabolism. The amount of adipose tissue is the main factor that explains metabolic disorders; however, obesity is not necessarily the result of increased body weight. Interestingly, there is a subgroup of patients with normal weight and high-risk metabolic profile. Consequently, they are significantly more likely to have metabolic disorders or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Conversely, some individuals, called metabolically healthy obese (MHO), demonstrate a favourable metabolic profile despite having high BMI index and excessive adipose tissue. The aim of this paper is to review recent studies about obesity phenotypes. Better understanding of differences between metabolically obese normal-weight (MONW) and MHO may improve the therapy and treatment of metabolic health in all obese patients. Equally importantly, it may lead to an increase in early detection of individuals with metabolic disorders, regardless of their body mass value or BMI.