Normal-weight Obesity

Most of the time, body weight is evaluated by looking at the ratio of your weight to your height. This measurement is called body mass index or BMI. However, BMI does not account for what your body is actually made up of (e.g., body fat versus muscle), which may be more important for determining cardiovascular disease risk. The investigators aim to understand vascular health in females with a "healthy" BMI with differing amounts of body fat and muscle mass. We will have participants come to the lab for two different study visits. At one visit, participants will eat a meal high in fat, and at the other visit, participants will undergo a stress task.

Metabolically Obese Normal Weight (MONW) represents a phenotype affecting individuals with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) but characterized by excessive adipose tissue accumulation. This condition is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction, yet remains underdiagnosed. This observational longitudinal study aims to comprehensively evaluate the relationship between excessive adipose tissue deposition, endothelial dysfunction, and asprosin concentrations in young women. The study will recruit 176 healthy women aged 18-35 years with normal BMI (\<25 kg/m²). Participants will be divided into two groups based on body fat percentage (PBF) assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA): the MONW group (PBF ≥ 35.78%) and the Control group (PBF \< 35.78%). The specific objectives of the study include: * Assessment of vascular endothelial function using flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery. * Evaluation of asprosin as a novel biomarker in the MONW phenotype. * Analysis of biochemical indices including asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and von Willebrand factor (vWF). * Advanced metabolomic profiling to identify metabolic signatures. Participants will undergo anthropometric measurements, body composition analysis (DXA), and blood sampling for biochemical and hormonal analyses. The study aims to develop predictive models for early cardiovascular risk detection in normal-weight individuals.

The overall objective of this project is to advance understanding of the causes of normal weight obesity (NWO) in men, namely the hormone profile and related potential mediating mechanisms, and the efficacy of different modes of exercise to restore body composition and cardiometabolic health in this population.