ALittle Extra Fat Is Not A Survival Advantage, Study Says

The study, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine casts doubt on the popular idea, supported by some previous studies, that people who are overweight but not obese live longer than their thinner peers. Those previous studies also found that even mild obesity might not raise death rates, despite links to heart disease, diabetes and cancer – the so-called “obesity paradox.”

"Some researchers have been skeptical about those findings, and the new study, using new methodology, gives them ammunition. It finds 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.

 “Overall, for the population as a whole, the increased risk associated with overweight is modest,” compared to the risk of outright obesity, said lead researcher Andrew Stokes, an assistant professor of global health at Boston University. But, he said, the risks are higher among some groups, including those under age 70.  Kim Painter , Special for USA TODAY