Scientists discovered that people who were slightly and moderately overweight were five per cent less likely to die than those who were their ideal weight.
However the benefits appear to drop off markedly once a person ventures into the obese category: people with a BMI between 30 and 35 were 29 per cent more likely to die than people of ideal weight.
‘So how does carrying some extra lumber make you less likely to die?’ you’re no doubt asking. Is it because your heart has to work harder to carry it all round, thus keeping it healthier?
Does fat disolve cancer cells?
Nope, the researchers reckon the reason the chubulous are less likely to die is because they’re more likely to visit a doctor.
Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the team behind the study said: “Possible explanations have included earlier presentation of heavier patients, greater likelihood of receiving optimal medical treatment, cardioprotective metabolic effects of increased body fat and benefits of higher metabolic reserves.”
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