Study Refutes Notion That Being Moderately Overweight Decreases Risk Of Dying.

the Annals of Internal Medicine is skeptical of the “popular idea, supported by some studies, that people who are overweight but not obese live longer than thinner peers.” The new study found that “the fatter we get, the more likely we are to die young from any cause and particularly from heart disease, cancer or respiratory disease.” reports lead researcher Andrew Stokes at Boston University School of Public Health and his group “found a 6 percent increased risk of dying from any cause among individuals with a history of being overweight.” Stokes said that 6 percent “is only a modest increase,” but it’s still “extremely worrisome” because so many American are overweight. The study “focused on each person’s maximum BMI over a 16-year period,” which Stokes “says makes the findings more reliable than earlier studies that have used a single BMI without regard to whether someone is gaining or losing weight at the time of the measurement.” We found that after considering weight history, the apparent paradoxical association between overweight/obesity and the risk of dying completely disappeared.” However, Stokes added the study is not able to prove that gaining additional weight increases the risk of death, nor can it conclude losing the weight would reduce the extra risk http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/03/522475728/carrying-some-extra-pounds-may-not-be-good-after-all