A few extra pounds might bring extra years

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20090629/LIFE/90629013/1004/life

A new study finds that being overweight – but not obese – might help you
live longer.
In the study of more than 11,000 Canadian adults, overweight people lived longer
than normal-weight people, while those who were either extremely obese or
underweight died at an earlier age than normal-weight people.


The findings do not mean that normal-weight people should try to pack on extra
pounds, the researchers said.


“It may be that a few extra pounds actually protect older people as their
health declines, but that doesn’t mean that people in the normal weight range
should try to put on a few pounds,” said study co-author Mark Kaplan, a
professor of community health at Portland State University.


The study followed 11,326 adults in Canada for 12 years. Compared to
normal-weight people, those who were underweight were 70 percent more likely to
die and those who were extremely obese were 36 percent more likely to die, the
researchers found.


On the other hand, overweight people were 17 percent less likely to die than
those of normal weight. The risk for obese people was the same as for people of
normal weight, the study authors noted.


Overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 30, and obesity
was defined as BMI of 30 and above. BMI is a measurement based on weight and
height. For example, a 5-foot 10-inch man weighing 181 pounds has a BMI of 26; a
5-foot 6-inch woman weighing 210 pounds has a BMI of about 34.
The study was published online June 18 in the journal Obesity.


“It’s not surprising that extreme underweight and extreme obesity increase
the risk of dying, but it is surprising that carrying a little extra weight may
give people a longevity advantage,” co-author David Feeny, a senior
investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland,
Ore., said in a Kaiser news release.


But Kaplan noted that there’s more to health than just living longer. “Our
study only looked at mortality, not at quality of life,” he pointed out,
“and there are many negative health consequences associated with obesity,
including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.”

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