'Those of us carrying around a few extra pounds should take heart - the slightly overweight seem to live longer than those of 'healthy' weight. Contrary to the much publicised message that you must be slim to be healthy, a study also found that those classed as obese fare no worse than those of normal weight. Researchers said it was clear that a person's weight was not the be all and end all of good health. Researcher Mark Feeny, of Kaiser Permanente Northwest Centre for Health Research in Oregon, said: 'It's not surprising that extreme underweight and extreme obesity increase the risk of dying but it is surprising that carrying a little extra weight may give people a longevity advantage.' During the period studied, the underweight were 70 per cent more likely to have died than those of normal weight, followed by the extremely obese. However, the obese lived roughly as long as those of normal weight.'This is interesting. It has been my life experience that the vast majority of people I have known who have had heart attacks have been very slight in build - followed not too closely by those who are significantly overweight.
This is not an excuse for an overweight me! I am trying seriously to shed thirty pounds or so! Congratulations to Slimmers World - I am actually able to follow their regime as I am seldom hungry on it and will soon be entering my second month.
