Almost one in 10 middle-aged men and more than a quarter of middle-aged women in the UK are “fit but fat”, researchers have said, as they called for more to be done to help people reduce their weight. Academics said that there are large regional differences over levels of “metabolically healthy obesity”, which could be down to different diets or other lifestyle factors as well as ethnic and genetic differences. People who are “fit but fat” are considered to be obese by their body mass index (BMI) score but have none of the complications associated with obesity including abnormal blood sugar levels; high cholesterol; high blood pressures; type 2 diabetes or other signs of heart disease. The UK has similar levels seen in Sweden, Norway and Germany, experts said. The highest proportion of metabolically healthy obesity is observed in France and other Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Israel, experts told the the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. There will always be people living with obesity who seem to be protected against obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases Prof Mattias Bluher One study shows that 8% of men and 27% of women in the UK aged between 40 and 50 are living with “metabolically healthy obesity”. Asked how many people in the UK are affected, Professor Matthias Bluher, of the University of Leipzig and Helmholtz Centre Munich in Germany, said: “The (UK) is very similar to situation Sweden, Norway and Germany. “There are populations in Micronesia or Asian populations where it is down to 2-5% only. “Some populations may be, despite large amounts of adipose tissue, better protected against comorbidities and Caucasian populations belong to those.” Prof Bluher said that healthy obesity is seen in a number of premenopausal women. It comes as Prof Bluher called for better weight management programmes for people who fit the profile. He pointed to previous work which suggests people who are “healthy obese” have a higher risk of coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and heart failure compared to their in a normal weight range. “There will always be people living with obesity who seem to be protected against obesity-related cardiometabolic diseases,” he told the conference. “The concept that metabolically healthy obesity affected people may not benefit from weight loss strategies has been challenged by recent data. “A timely and personalised treatment of obesity should also be recommended to people living with healthier obesity.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jonnie Peacock on Strictly Come Dancing representation: ‘It’s important to break people’s perceptions’ What you need to know about depression during menopause – as Carol Vorderman opens up Autumn pests to look out for and how to get rid of them in your home and garden

Gunfire broke out at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday night, injuring four men and one woman

Russia says its air defenses shot down 31 Ukrainian drones in a nighttime attack on border regions

The suspect was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt with his hood up and knocked Ryan Carson to the ground before stabbing him to death

KYIV Ukraine's navy said on Wednesday that 12 more vessels were ready to enter a Black Sea shipping

Swedish media say the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences may have announced the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry prematurely

The Republican infighting escalated to an unusually bitter and personal level before culminating in a historic vote that ultimately ousted McCarthy

Police in New Delhi have arrested the editor of a news website and one of its administrators after raiding the homes of journalists working for the site, which has been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist-led government

Three homes were destroyed by a forest fire and a man was injured by a falling tree in the Bega Valley region of southeastern Australia, prompting a government leader to warn that a “horror” wildfire season is approaching

Chinese-owned video platform TikTok says it will halt its online retail operation in Indonesia to comply with the country’s decision to ban e-commerce transactions on social media platforms

Asian markets are trading sharply lower after Wall Street tumbled as it focused on the downside of a surprisingly strong job market: the likelihood that interest rates will stay high

A leading think tank revises down its growth forecast for the domestic Irish economy this year.