Even though you may be slim on the outside, the presence of too much fat on the inside (as in surrounding vital organs) can be as dangerous as too much fat on the outside, according to British scientists.

Because it is not seen, internal fat is often not recognized as a problem for many people (until it is too late). But a simple MRI image can show people where deposits of internal fat are excessive.

A scary conclusion? People who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim. That's a little scary, eh? According to the British researchers who authored this study, "The whole concept of being fat needs to be redefined."

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According to research published last year, having a good BMI may not be a reliable way of judging your health. And according to a recent study from continued research, now there's even more data to support the hazards of being thin but still having an unbalanced amount of body fat. People with normal weight obese (NWO) syndrome usually have higher levels of inflammation-causing proteins, which puts them at risk for developing cardiovascular disease or obesity in the future.

The good news is that if you are "fat on the inside" you're still better off than people who are obese in the more traditional sense. People with NWO syndrome don't usually suffer from the expected side-effects of being overweight like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol.

So next time you're calculating your BMI to figure your health standing, do your body fat percentage as well.

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