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Obese people live longer than thin people
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Most people who are overweight try to lose weight as quickly as possible, but a new study by scientists shows that overweight people live longer than slim and fit people. So if you gain a couple of extra pounds over the New Year and Christmas holidays, this is not a reason to worry, but a path to longevity.
A new large-scale study by experts, the results of which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is based on an analysis of hundreds of previous studies by scientists.
We are used to hearing that obese people are more susceptible to the risk of developing various diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, and so on. However, being thin is much more dangerous than being plump. Scientists say that obese people have advantages in life expectancy and quality of life compared to those people whose weight is within the range of indicators that are considered normal.
"Despite the fact that extra pounds increase the risk of developing a number of diseases, they can play a positive role in old age," the researchers comment on the results of the work. "Excess fat reserves help people maintain health in old age, in the event that an illness suddenly provokes significant weight loss."
The authors of the work say that if obese people lose weight due to illness due to their fat deposits, then in thin people, internal organs are involved in this process.
However, scientists note that this only applies to people with a slight excess of body weight. Those people who have serious weight problems and are obese are not included in this category.
In addition, scientists are working on another version. It is based on the fact that overweight people monitor their health more carefully so as not to gain more weight, and therefore, they visit gyms more often and control their diet, avoiding fatty foods and satisfying hunger pangs in time. Thin people, who are not concerned about excess weight problems, according to scientists, are not so picky about food and exercise less. Experts also note that overweight people are more attentive to their health and to the symptoms of diseases, for example, high blood pressure. This means that they will worry about their health sooner and seek medical help without delay.
Scientists analyzed more than ninety studies on the issue, which involved millions of women and men. Experts assessed the subjects' weight-to-height ratio (body mass index), as well as their health.
The body mass index for people with normal body type is 18.5 - 24.9. Overweight is 25 - 29.9, and obesity is a BMI that exceeds 30.
As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that people with excess body weight live six percent longer than those who fall into the "normal" category. But in addition, it turned out that the life expectancy of those people whose weight is within the range of 30 - 34.9, is approximately equal to the life expectancy of slim people, but for those who weigh more, the risk of premature death increases sharply.
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