Metabolic health and longevity depend primarily on developing muscle mass, as obesity is essentially a pathology related to a lack of muscle rather than an excess of fat.

noli's read

The concept that muscle is an active endocrine organ is scientifically robust: muscles release myokines that influence metabolism and inflammation (reviewed in Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology). It is also well established by numerous observational and clinical studies that preserved muscle mass correlates with better survival and improved metabolic health, particularly in the elderly. However, characterizing obesity as a 'muscle problem' rather than a 'fat problem' is a rhetorical simplification. While strength training improves insulin sensitivity and basal metabolic rate (RCT, Journal of Applied Physiology), obesity remains a complex, multifactorial condition (genetics, environment, caloric intake). The exaggeration here lies in the prioritization: while muscle is a major lever for health, it cannot entirely obscure the metabolic impact of adipose overload. There is no evidence that muscle alone can compensate for all the deleterious effects of massive excess body fat.

the sources

1. 1Wu Y, Wang W, Liu T, Zhang D 2017
2. 2Li R, Xia J, Zhang X, et al. 2018
3. 3Hoffmann C, Weigert C 2017