If there’s anything we’ve learned conclusively about human health in the last few decades, it’s that smoking is lethal and obesity increases the risk of dying early. But to the surprise of many (and the skepticism of others), an international analysis shows that being slightly overweight may lead to a longer life.The new report analyzed 97 international studies and revealed notably consistent results, say the authors of the findings that were published in the most recent Journal of the American Medical Association.”For people with a medical condition, survival is slightly better for people who are slightly heavier,” noted the study leader, Katherine Flegal, a senior research scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.The collection of studies included data on more than 2.88 million people in countries as diverse as the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Brazil, Israel, India and Mexico.Using Body Measurement Index (BMI) figures, the data from all the studies were combined. …
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