Prevalence and Clinical Characteristics of Metabolically Healthy Obesity in Korean Children and Adolescents: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Associations among metabolic health, weight status, and various physical fitness components in Japanese adolescents: a cross-sectional study (NICE EVIDENCE study- Agano 3)

Aim was to examine associations among metabolic health, weight status, and various physical fitness (PF) components in 1744 Japanese adolescents aged 13-14. Anthropometric measurements and PF tests (20 m shuttle run test [20mSRT], handgrip strength/body mass [HG], standing long jump [SLJ], and sit ups [SU]) were administered. The bottom sex-specific quintile of PF indicated "low fit". Participants were classified as non-overweight (non-OW) or overweight/obese (OW) according to the International Obesity Task Force. Clustered metabolic risk was defined as the sum of Z scores for mean arterial pressure, non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HbA1c, divided by three, and ≥ 1 SD. Combination of weight status and scores for HG or SU were additively associated with clustered metabolic risk. Compared with the non-OW-moderate-high fit group, the OW-low HG group was 3.05 (95%CI: 1.88-4.97) times more likely to have clustered metabolic risk although risk was not significantly elevated in the OW-moderate-high HG group (1.52 [95%CI: 0.88-2.62]). A similar association was observed between OW and low SU scores but not between OW and low 20mSRT or SLJ scores. Adolescents with OW and moderate-high HG or SU scores had a lower prevalence of an unfavourable metabolic state than those with OW and low HG or SU results.

Dietary Intakes and Eating Behavior between Metabolically Healthy and Unhealthy Obesity Phenotypes in Asian Children and Adolescents

Diet plays a critical role in the development of obesity and obesity-related morbidities. Our study aimed to evaluate the dietary food groups, nutrient intakes and eating behaviors of metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity phenotypes in an Asian cohort of children and adolescents. Participants (n = 52) were asked to record their diet using a 3-day food diary and intakes were analyzed using a nutrient software. Eating behavior was assessed using a validated questionnaire. Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) or metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) were defined based on criteria of metabolic syndrome. Children/adolescents with MUO consumed fewer whole grains (median: 0.00 (interquartile range: 0.00-0.00 g) vs. 18.5 g (0.00-69.8 g)) and less polyunsaturated fat (6.26% kcal (5.17-7.45% kcal) vs. 6.92% kcal (5.85-9.02% kcal)), and had lower cognitive dietary restraint (15.0 (13.0-17.0) vs. 16.0 (14.0-19.0)) compared to children/adolescents with MHO. Deep fried food, fast food and processed convenience food were positively associated with both systolic (β: 2.84, 95%CI: 0.95-6.62) and diastolic blood pressure (β: 4.83, 95%CI: 0.61-9.04). Higher polyunsaturated fat intake (OR: 0.529, 95%CI: 0.284-0.986) and cognitive dietary restraint (OR: 0.681, 95%CI: 0.472-0.984) were associated with a lower risk of the MUO phenotype. A healthier diet composition and positive eating behavior may contribute to favorable metabolic outcomes in children and adolescents with obesity.

Prevalence and predictors of metabolically healthy obesity in severely obese Asian children

BACKGROUND

Obese individuals who have little or no metabolic syndrome components are proposed to be "metabolically healthy obese (MHO)". This study aim to evaluate the prevalence of MHO and examine the predictors associated with MHO in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort of severely obese children.

METHODS

This study included a cross-sectional cohort of 406 Chinese, Malay and Indian children aged 5-20 years old with BMI for age ≥ 97th percentile. Metabolic syndrome (MS) and metabolic health (MH) definitions based on the presence or absence of metabolic abnormalities (High triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure and high glucose) were used to define MHO in the cohort.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MHO is 63.5% by MS definition and 22.4% by MH definition. Maternal healthy metabolic status (OR: 2.47), age (OR: 0.83, 0.80), paternal obesity (OR: 0.48, 0.53), Malay (OR: 1.97) and Indian ethnicity (OR: 6.38, 3.21) (compared to Chinese ethnicity) are independent predictors for MHO phenotype based on different MHO definitions.

CONCLUSIONS

Adiposity measures are not associated with MHO phenotype, but instead younger age, maternal healthy metabolic status, absence of paternal obesity, Malay and Indian ethnicity are independent predictors for MHO phenotype in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort of severely obese children.

IMPACT

The prevalence of metabolically healthy obese (MHO) in our multi-ethnic Asian cohort of severely obese children is 63.5% and 22.4%, respectively, based on different MHO definitions. Adiposity measures are not associated with the MHO phenotype. There are other factors that contribute to the metabolic phenotype in obese individuals. Younger age, maternal healthy metabolic status, absence of paternal obesity, Malay and Indian ethnicity are independent predictors for MHO phenotype. Parental influence is important in predicting metabolic health in obese individuals.

Metabolically healthy obesity in a paediatric obesity clinic

OBJECTIVES

Metabolically healthy obese (MHO) children is a described subgroup of obese children who do not exhibit traditional cardiometabolic risk factors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characterize patients with this phenotype.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study, performed in a paediatric obesity clinic (tertiary university hospital) in 2019. Children were classified with "MHO" or "metabolically unhealthy obesity" according to the criteria proposed by Damanhoury based on HDL, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and fasting glucose values.

RESULTS

241 participants were included, with ages between two and 17 years. The prevalence of the MHO phenotype was 61.8%. The body mass index (Z-score) in children aged five years or older was significantly lower in those with MHO (p=0.040). In the MHO group, mean total cholesterol levels were higher (p<0.001), due to the high value of HDL (p<0.001); triglyceride levels (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=0.036), DBP (p=0.029) and the homeostasis model assessment - insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index (p=0.001) were significantly lower. HDL (OR=1.421; 95% CI 1.279-1.579; p<0.001) and SBP (OR=0.943; 95% CI 0.903-0.985; p=0.008) were the only independent predictors for the development of MHO.

CONCLUSIONS

Almost two-thirds of the participants had an MHO phenotype. The high and low values of HDL and SBP, respectively, were the only variables that proved to be predictors of MHO.

Temporal trends in the prevalence of metabolically healthy overweight and obesity in Korean youth: data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2019

PURPOSE

Metabolically healthy overweight/obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUO) are distinct clinical phenotypes classified by the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors in an individual. In the present study, we investigated temporal trends in the prevalence of MHO in Korean adolescents using nationally representative data.

METHODS

Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2019 were used in this study. A total of 5,667 adolescents (3,014 boys, 53.2%) aged 10-18 years was included in this study. MHO was defined as a body mass index ≥85th percentile for the corresponding age and sex and absence of any cardiometabolic risk factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of overweight/obesity showed an increasing trend from 18.8% (boys 17.3% and girls 20.6%) in 2011 to 23.7% (boys 24.0% and girls 23.5%) in 2019 (p for trend=0.045). The overall prevalence of MHO during 2011-2019 was 39.2%, which was higher in girls than in boys (boys 33.5%, girls 46.2%, p<0.001), and the change in prevalence of MHO from 2011 to 2019 (from 34.8% to 35.7%) was not significant. Among MUO, the most prevalent cardiometabolic risk factor was dysglycemia (48.8%), followed by elevated blood pressure (41.5%), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (35.0%), and high triglycerides (29.7%).

CONCLUSION

We observed a high prevalence of MHO in Korean youth with overweight/obesity. Although the prevalence of overweight/obesity increased, the prevalence of MHO was stable during 2011-2019. A risk-stratified approach based on metabolic health status can help reducing the medical and socioeconomic costs associated with obesity treatment.

Metabolic inflexibility in youth with obesity: Is it a feature of obesity or distinctive of youth who are metabolically unhealthy?

Individuals with obesity have metabolic inflexibility with diminished fasting fat oxidation and blunted increase in respiratory quotient (RQ) in insulin-stimulated states. However, it is unclear if metabolic inflexibility is a characteristic of obesity per se or is unique to youth who have metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) compared with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). We investigated metabolic flexibility in youth with MUO, MHO and normal weight (NW) and compared their metabolic characteristics. Youth (n = 188) were divided, based on cut-off points for in vivo insulin sensitivity (IS) of adolescents with NW, into 137 with MUO and 51 with MHO. Fasting hepatic IS (HIS) from hepatic glucose production by [6,6-² H₂ ]glucose, adipose tissue IS (ATIS) from whole-body lipolysis by [² H₅ ]glycerol, RQ (indirect calorimetry) during fasting and a hyperinsulinemic (80 mU/m² /min)-euglycemic clamp were measured. Youth with MUO versus MHO had blunted ΔRQ (p = .035) and lower HIS and ATIS (both p < .0001), while ΔRQ, HIS and ATIS were not different between youth with MHO and NW. In a pair-matched sub-analyses of 30 MUO and 30 MHO the results were similar to the total cohort. Metabolic inflexibility, does not appear to be a feature of obesity per se rather distinctive of youth with MUO, who also have worse HIS and ATIS compared with youth with MHO.

Metabolically healthy obesity in children enrolled in the CANadian Pediatric Weight management Registry (CANPWR): An exploratory secondary analysis of baseline data

Our study purpose was to determine the prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and examine factors associated with MHO in children with obesity. This cross-sectional study was a secondary, exploratory analysis of data that included 2-17 years old with a body mass index (BMI) ≥85th percentile from the CANadian Pediatric Weight management Registry. Children were classified as having MHO or metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) using consensus-based criteria. Those with MHO had normal triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure, and fasting glucose. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with MHO, which included calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). In total, 945 children were included (mean age: 12.3 years; 51% female). The prevalence of MHO was 31% (n = 297), with lower levels across increasing age categories (2-5 years [n = 18; 43%], 6-11 years [n = 127; 35%], 12-17 years [n = 152; 28%]). Children with MHO were younger, weighed less, and had lower BMI z-scores than their peers with MUO (all p < 0.01). MHO status was positively associated with physical activity (OR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.01-1.38), skim milk intake (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01-1.19), and fruit intake (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.01-1.24) and negatively associated with BMI z-score (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.60-0.79), total screen time in hours (OR: 0.79; 96% CI: 0.68-0.92), and intake of fruit flavoured drinks (OR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.84-0.99). These findings may help guide clinical decision-making regarding obesity management by focusing on children with MUO who are at relatively high cardiometabolic risk.

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of metabolically healthy obese versus metabolically unhealthy obese school children

INTRODUCTION

Children with obesity in the absence of traditional cardiometabolic risk factors (CRF) have been described as metabolically healthy obese (MHO). Children with MHO phenotype has a favorable metabolic profile with normal glucose metabolism, lipids, and blood pressure compared to children with metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) phenotype. This study aimed to compare several parameters related to obesity between these two groups and to examine the predictors associated with the MHO phenotype.

METHODS

This study included a cross-sectional baseline data of 193 children with obesity (BMI z-score > +2 SD) aged 8-16 years enrolled in MyBFF@school program, a school-based intervention study conducted between January and December 2014. Metabolic status was defined based on the 2018 consensus-based criteria with MHO children had no CRF (HDL-cholesterol > 1.03 mmol/L, triglycerides ≤ 1.7 mmol/L, systolic and diastolic blood pressure ≤ 90^th percentile, and fasting plasma glucose ≤ 5.6 mmol/L). Those that did not meet one or more of the above criteria were classified as children with MUO phenotype.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MHO was 30.1% (95% CI 23.7 - 37.1) among schoolchildren with obesity and more common in younger and prepubertal children. Compared to MUO, children with MHO phenotype had significantly lower BMI, lower waist circumference, lower uric acid, higher adiponectin, and higher apolipoprotein A-1 levels (p < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression showed that adiponectin (OR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.05 - 1.68) and apolipoprotein A-1 (OR: 1.02, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.03) were independent predictors for MHO phenotype in this population.

CONCLUSIONS

MHO phenotype was more common in younger and prepubertal children with obesity. Higher serum levels of adiponectin and apolipoprotein A-1 increased the possibility of schoolchildren with obesity to be classified into MHO phenotype.

Prevalence and associated factors of metabolic body size phenotype in children and adolescents: A national cross-sectional analysis in China

BACKGROUND

Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is a group of subjects with overweight/obesity who present a metabolically healthy profile; however, associated factors are complex and are far from completely understood. The aim of the current study was to estimate the prevalence of different metabolic body size phenotypes and investigate the associated factors in Chinese children and adolescents.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 12,346 children and adolescents aged 7-18 years from seven provinces in China in 2013. Anthropometric, blood pressure, and biochemical measurements were obtained. A multi-component questionnaire covering demographic, neonatal, and lifestyle characteristics was administered. The classification of metabolic body size phenotype based on three definitions was compared. With metabolically healthy with normal weight (MHNW) as a reference group, logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the potential effects of associated risk factors, with adjustment for age, sex, single-child status, and residence area.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MHNW, MHO, metabolically unhealthy with normal weight (MUNW), and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obesity (MUO) phenotype was 68.6%, 2.0%, 26.4%, and 3.0%, respectively. There were 39.3% MHO and 60.7% MUO among obese participants and 72.2% MHNW and 27.8% MUNW among those with normal weight. Compared to cardiometabolic risk factor (CMRF) criteria and metabolic syndrome (MetS) component definition, the application of the 2018 consensus-based definition may identify more children with abnormal cardiovascular risks, independent of weight status. Compared to younger children, older-aged adolescents were positively associated with higher risks of MUNW (odds ratio (OR) = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.27-1.50) and MUO (OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.04-1.60), while factors positively associated with MHO were younger age, single-child status, urban residence, high birth weight, prolonged breastfeeding duration, parental overweight/obesity status, long screen time, and less physical activity.

CONCLUSION

There were still a high proportion of children and adolescents at high cardiometabolic risk in China. Our findings reinforce the need for cardiometabolic risk prevention in children and adolescents irrespective of their weight statuses, such as parental educational programs and healthy lifestyle interventions.

Dietary intake and nutritional status of Korean children and adolescents: a review of national survey data

In Korea, several national cross-sectional surveys monitor the diet, nutritional status, and health status of children. This continual dedicated national surveillance system contributes to the identification of nutritional and health issues, establishment of public health policies, and development of nutrition recommendations. This paper provides recent information about the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey and describes key nationwide survey findings published in the last 5 years on infant feeding practices and the dietary intake and nutritional status of Korean infants, children, and adolescents. There have been increasing trends in children, and teenagers who skip breakfast, eat fast food, consume sugary drinks, have vitamin D deficiency, and are obese. This review will inform pediatricians, nutritionists, and other health care practitioners who track children's growth and development. It may also help researchers and policymakers identify diet-related policies and strategies for chronic disease prevention in Korean infants, children, and adolescents.

Children with metabolically healthy obesity have a worse metabolic profile compared to normal-weight peers: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

A phenotype of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) has been described in youth with obesity, but data are still scarce in this age group. The aim of the current study was to describe and compare clinical and laboratory parameters related to obesity among three different groups of youth, namely youth with normal weight (NW), with MHO, and with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO).

METHODS

One hundred and three youngsters with obesity were divided according to 2018 consensus-based criteria into those with MHO [n = 49, age (±SD): 10.9 ± 2.9 years] and those with MUO [n = 54, 11.5 ± 2.7 years] and were compared to age-, sex- and Tanner-matched NW [n = 69, 11.3 ± 2.9 years]. Several obesity-related parameters were investigated for all three groups of children. Comparisons were made by analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Fisher's PLSD test.

RESULTS

Youth with MHO had lower systolic (p < 0.001) and diastolic (p < 0.01) blood pressure z-score and triglycerides (p < 0.01), but higher HDL-C (p < 0.001), total cholesterol (p < 0.05), and apo-A1 (p < 0.05) compared to those with MUO. Compared to controls, both children with MHO and MUO showed higher fasting insulin (p < 0.05), HOMA-IR (p < 0.05), and QUICKI (p < 0.001). Similarly, both groups had higher hsCRP, fibrinogen, uric acid, and leptin compared to controls (for all, p < 0.001), while their adiponectin was lower (p < 0.05). Visfatin was higher in children with MUO compared to controls (p < 0.01), and it showed a trend to be lower in children with MHO compared to those with MUO (p = 0.1).

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that children identified as having MHO by the consensus-based criteria had better metabolic profiles than youth with MUO, but worse than NW. Further research is needed in pediatric populations both regarding MHO criteria and the nature of the MHO phenotype per se.

Insulin Resistance as a Diagnostic Criterion for Metabolically Healthy Obesity in Children

OBJECTIVES

In recent years, a subgroup of individuals with obesity has been described as having a lower risk of metabolic and cardiovascular complications. These individuals have what is referred to as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), which has a favorable metabolic profile and a lower probability of long-term complications. The definition of this subtype in children is not clear. The aim of the present study was to determine whether Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) above a set threshold could be the marker of metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) in children, or a parameter that can be used in the overall assessment. It is intended to compare the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria against HOMA in the diagnosis of MUO.

METHODS

This observational, retrospective, cohort study included children with obesity and analyzed their metabolic state by means of blood testing and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

RESULTS

A total of 96 patients were included, 44.8% boys and 55.2% girls, ages 6-17 years. The patients with MHO according to the HOMA criterion were younger (P = 0.001), had a lower body mass index (BMI) z score (P = 0.006), waist-height index (P = 0.009), hip-height index (P = 0.010), blood glucose (P = 0.003), insulin (P < 0.001), and lower percentages of total fat (P = 0.002), trunk fat (P = 0.001), and android fat (P = 0.009) than those with MUO. The logistic regression analysis according to IDF criteria detected an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.659 (95% CI 0.546-0.771; P = 0.009) versus the area under the ROC curve of 0.854 (95% CI 0.777-0.931; P < 0.001) for the HOMA definition. Therefore, the determination of the metabolic state according to HOMA has greater sensitivity and specificity than the IDF criteria. The multivariate analysis in children classified according to HOMA revealed that the percentage of total fat and gynoid fat distributions and triglyceride level could be markers of a healthy or unhealthy metabolic state in children with obesity (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of HOMA as a single criterion was demonstrated to be an effective and simple detector of adiposity, which predicts the metabolically healthy obesity in children.

Prevalence and characteristics of the metabolically healthy obese phenotype in children and adolescents in a Mexican state

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of the Metabolically Healthy Obesity (MHO), and Metabolically Obese Normal-Weight (MONW) phenotypes in a sample of children and adolescents. To evaluate which clinical and laboratory variables are related to the MONW and MHO phenotypes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years old, presumably healthy. Somatometry, glucose, insulin, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HOMA-IR, triglycerides/HDL ratio, triglycerides and glucose index, and leptin/adiponectin, were determined.

RESULTS

Data from 620 children and adolescents were included (50.65% were males); the median age was 11 years. The prevalence of the MONW phenotype was 22.85% (95%CI 16.85%-29.79%), and the MHO phenotype 27.61% (95%CI 22.60%-33.06%). The variables that significantly explained the possibility of presenting the MONW and MHO phenotype were triglycerides/HDL ratio, and product of triglycerides and glucose. Insulin and HOMA-IR were significantly associated with the MHO phenotype but not with the MONW phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of metabolically healthy obese phenotype is lower in the Mexican population compared to European studies; thus, future studies should determine if this difference relies upon genetic profile or lifestyle. The indices to assess the action of insulin based on lipids can help identify children and adolescents with the MHO and MONW phenotypes.

Metabolically Healthy Obesity

Obesity contributes to reduced life expectancy, impaired quality of life, and disabilities, mainly in those individuals who develop cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and cancer. However, there is a large variation in the individual risk to developing obesity-associated comorbid diseases that cannot simply be explained by the extent of adiposity. Observations that a proportion of individuals with obesity have a significantly lower risk for cardiometabolic abnormalities led to the concept of metabolically healthy obesity (MHO). Although there is no clear definition, normal glucose and lipid metabolism parameters-in addition to the absence of hypertension-usually serve as criteria to diagnose MHO. Biological mechanisms underlying MHO lower amounts of ectopic fat (visceral and liver), and higher leg fat deposition, expandability of subcutaneous adipose tissue, preserved insulin sensitivity, and beta-cell function as well as better cardiorespiratory fitness compared to unhealthy obesity. Whereas the absence of metabolic abnormalities may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in metabolically healthy individuals compared to unhealthy individuals with obesity, it is still higher in comparison with healthy lean individuals. In addition, MHO seems to be a transient phenotype further justifying therapeutic weight loss attempts-even in this subgroup-which might not benefit from reducing body weight to the same extent as patients with unhealthy obesity. Metabolically healthy obesity represents a model to study mechanisms linking obesity to cardiometabolic complications. Metabolically healthy obesity should not be considered a safe condition, which does not require obesity treatment, but may guide decision-making for a personalized and risk-stratified obesity treatment.

Fasting insulin resistance affects the prevalence of metabolically healthy obesity in Brazilian adolescents

AIM

We aimed to assess the influence of fasting insulin resistance on metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) prevalence in adolescents and to identify associated factors.

METHODS

This retrospective, registry-based, cross-sectional study included 418 (51.9% girls) 10- to 18-year-old adolescents with obesity from a tertiary outpatient clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil, between 2009 and 2013. The prevalence of MHO was estimated according to two definitions: (i) no cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) by the International Diabetes Federation parameters and (ii) no CMRF and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance <3.16. Adjusted prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) evaluated the association of gender, age, pubertal stages, skin colour and degree of obesity with MHO.

RESULTS

Metabolically healthy obesity prevalence was lower in definition II than definition I (12.7%; 95% CI 9.1-16.3% versus 43.1%; 95% CI 38.0-48.2%, respectively). Adjusted results showed negative association between severe obesity and MHO by both definitions (p ≤ 0.01). Male and later pubertal stages were also less likely to have MHO, but neither remained significant in definition II.

CONCLUSION

Metabolically healthy obesity prevalence decreased when insulin resistance was part of the definition. Detecting pre-clinical insulin resistance may improve the management of treatment-seeking adolescents, especially when they present no CMRF.

Children With Metabolically Healthy Obesity: A Review

Children with "metabolically healthy obesity" (MHO) are a distinct subgroup of youth with obesity, who are less prone to the clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors. Although this phenotype, frequently defined by the absence of metabolic syndrome components or insulin resistance, was first described during the early 1980s, a consensus-based definition of pediatric MHO was introduced only recently, in 2018. The purpose of this review was to concisely summarize current knowledge regarding the MHO phenomenon in youth. The prevalence of MHO in children varies from 3 to 87%, depending on the definition used and the parameters evaluated, as well as the ethnicity and the pubertal status of the sample. The most consistent predictors of MHO in youth include younger age, lower body mass index, lower waist circumference, and lower body fat measurements. Various hypotheses have been proposed to elucidate the underlying factors maintaining the favorable MHO phenotype. While preserved insulin sensitivity and lack of inflammation were previously considered to be the main etiological factors, the most recent findings have implicated adipokine levels, the number of inflammatory immune cells in the adipose tissue, and the reduction of visceral adiposity due to adipose tissue expandability. Physical activity and genetic factors also contribute to the MHO phenotype. Obesity constitutes a continuum-increased risk for cardiometabolic complications, which is less evident in children with MHO. However, some findings have highlighted the emergence of hepatic steatosis, increased carotid intima-media thickness and inflammatory biomarkers in the MHO group compared to peers without obesity. Screening should be directed at those more likely to develop clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors. Lifestyle modifications should include behavioral changes focusing on sleep duration, screen time, diet, physical activity, and tobacco smoke exposure. Weight loss has also been associated with the improvement of insulin sensitivity and inflammation. Further investigative efforts are needed in order to elucidate the mechanisms which protect against the clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors in pediatric obesity, to provide more efficient, targeted treatment approaches for children with obesity, and to identify the protective factors preserving the MHO profile, avoiding the crossover of MHO to the phenotype with metabolically unhealthy obesity.