Mildly obese people have lower death risk, says study

A study aimed to understand the link between obesity and mortality shows that mildly obese people have 6% lower death risk.

13:33 03 January 2013

This is something that most people will be shocked to hear; mildly obese people have a 6% lower death risk compared to those who are of the recommended weight.

This is according to a major new study. The research was conducted to counter the widespread medical assumptions and years of warning that being overweight has fatal implications. A lot of people who are struggling to lose unwanted pounds will surely welcome the news?

Katherine Flegal, an epidemiologist from the National Centre for Health Statistics at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Maryland, America, led the study that aimed to establish the link between obesity and mortality.

A study conducted in 2007 also concluded the same findings; it reveals that fat doesn’t shorten life.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Obesity Forum, Tam Fry, warned that the research should not encourage people to put in more weight as obesity is still linked to several health problems.

He said: “The consequences of people taking this research and deciding 'let's eat and be merry' will be catastrophic. Mortality [the death rate] is one thing but morbidity [the disease rate] is another.

“If people read this and decide they are not going to die [from overeating] they may find themselves lifelong dependents on medical treatment for problems affecting the heart, liver, kidney and pancreas – to name only a few.”