Does obesity attenuate the beneficial cardiovascular effects of cardiorespiratory fitness?

•Higher physical fitness is associated with lower arterial stiffness in middle-aged obese individuals.•Obesity might attenuate the inverse association between physical fitness and arterial stiffness in middle-aged individuals.•BaPWV might not be increased any further by an obese body composition in very low-fit middle-aged individuals.•Physical fitness is a stronger modulator of CV risk than body composition but obesity may compromise training efforts.