A new study has revealed that being overweight or slightly obese implies that
you’ll live longer on average than slim or skinny
people.

A person who is
overweight can expect to live two and a half months longer than someone of
‘ideal’ weight and 15 months longer than an underweight person, concludes the
study of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and
longevity.

The study was
conducted by actuarial mathematicians at Heriot-Watt University in
Edinburgh.

The scientists found
a link between being overweight and increased incidence of long-term ill health,
although the difference is perhaps not as dramatic as many might expect.

Almost 55 per cent of
70-year-old men of normal weight suffer high blood pressure, compared with 65
per cent of men of the same age who are morbidly
obese.

The Scottish Faculty of
Actuaries commissioned the new research, which included examining databases in
the UK and from the world-famous Framingham Heart Study, where 10,000 people
shared their health data.

After
reviewing the data, the researchers concluded that a 20-year-old man who was
overweight or mildly obese on the BMI scale (25-40) would live on average to
78.8 years; an underweight counterpart (less than 18.5) will live to
77.5.

While the overweight live
longer, they are more likely than lighter people to suffer from diabetes and
high blood pressure. They are also more likely to get strokes and heart attacks.

"What the study makes clear is
that obesity in itself – at least as it is measured by the BMI – is
not as much of an indicator of life expectancy as many other factors, such as
smoking," The Scotsman Howard Waters, professor of actuarial mathematics at
Heriot-Watt University, as
saying.

"It causes things such
as diabetes and hypertension. These things in themselves do not actually kill,
although they can contribute to other conditions that will kill, such as heart
disease.

"However, it’s not
simple. Obesity and its effects will still need to be treated, in far more
people, and the costs will be very considerable," Waters added.

Via Times of India