A few extra pounds might actually mean a longer life

A little extra weight might actually help you live longer
It turns out that carrying a few extra pounds could actually lower your risk of mortality compared to folks who are at a "normal" weight, according to a recent study conducted here in the USA. This wasn't just a surface-level look, either; researchers used a highly sophisticated analysis that factored in things like smoking habits, age, skin tone, and alcohol consumption alongside body weight. While the scientists haven't pinned down the exact reason why being slightly overweight helps, they suspect it’s because most people pass away after the age of 70—a stage where having some extra fat reserves can actually act as a protective buffer. To put the scale in perspective, while obesity causes about 112,000 deaths annually in the US, being just slightly over the "ideal" weight range actually prevents roughly 86,000 deaths every year.

finally 🙏 😁

Funded by McDonald's???

So, if I take all this into account, it looks like I might just cruise right along to a ripe old age of at least 110, yes indeed!🙂

Hey, do you happen to have a link to the source for that?

Carol Rodriguez65 said:finally 🙏 😁

haha, don't get ahead of yourself, you really need to read those numbers more carefully...

ris ii said:According to the study, obesity causes 112,000 deaths annually in the USA, whereas being just slightly over an ideal body weight prevents 86,000 deaths per year.

that's like telling someone they'll live longer if they drop from 25 cigarettes a day down to five, which might be true, but honestly, how much longer? .. 😁

so, apparently, carrying an extra ten pounds is better than carrying an extra hundred... I mean, technically that's accurate, but where does it actually say that being over the "ideal" weight is somehow a win? .. 😛

swiftscout8 said:Funded by McDonald's???

🙏 👍

Brenda Lee50 said:hey, do you have a link to the source?

yeah, MacDonalds, 😁

mistybear4 said:haha, don't get ahead of yourself—read the fine print more carefully... I mean, sure, being five pounds overweight is obviously better than being fifty-five pounds over, but where does it actually say it's better than hitting your "ideal" weight? 😛

Well, if you actually look at the article above, it's right there.

I don't have the link anymore.
The article was right there on the front page of the monitor.
sad that news is just gone!

Maybe adding a few extra pounds to your frame might actually tack on some years to your life expectancy...
but we're talking just a couple of kilos here, nothing crazy...
if you want to check if you've put on a little too much or if you're sitting right in that "healthy" sweet spot, there's a BMI calculator over at
http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/bmi-calculator
so go ahead and run the numbers yourselves to see if you're carrying extra weight or if you're totally fine..

Americans love to brag about how much longer they’re going to live now.
Not too long ago, we saw the exact opposite headline—claiming that people who stay leaner than the "ideal" weight actually have longer lifespans.
If you ask me, this whole thing is purely subjective—it mostly just depends on who is paying for the study in the first place. 😁

Andrew Alvarez77 said:Maybe gaining a few extra pounds might actually extend your life for a bit...
but we're talking just a couple of pounds here..
you can use this BMI calculator over at
http://www.mayoclinic.org/bmi-calculator/...?articleID=s35
so you can check for yourself whether you're carrying extra weight or if you're technically "normal."

The problem with that site is it doesn't specify if those metrics are meant for men or women, and when you're looking for actual data, the difference between those tables is massive..

Besides, BMI is nothing more than a ratio of weight to height, which is pretty useless for determining who's actually overweight since everyone's body composition is different; it would be much more accurate to use a body fat percentage scanner instead..🙂

Carol Rodriguez65 said:Well, it’s clearly stated right there in the article above.

Sure, it says, "According to study findings, obesity causes 112,000 deaths annually in the USA, while staying just slightly over an ideal body weight prevents 86,000 deaths per year."

So, 112,000 minus 86,000 equals 26,000.
According to that math, are we really saying 26,000 people die every year simply because they aren't obese, but just have a "few extra pounds" on them? That sounds a bit extreme to me. 😕

👋

steelsailor17 said:Americans seem to be under the impression that they’re going to live longer.
Not too long ago, there was a similar headline, just flipped on its head, claiming people who stay leaner than the "ideal" weight actually have longer lifespans.
In my experience, it all comes down to the individual, though more often than not, it just depends on who’s paying for the study and what kind of results they want to see. 😁

I’m with you there; everyone’s out here peddling their own little narrative.. 😁

Honestly, I just got back from the States about a week ago, and I was genuinely floored by how many overweight people there are. I knew the numbers were high, sure, but seeing it in person was something else entirely—it was way beyond anything I had imagined. 😢

Ashley Nguyen5 said:So, I guess that means I’ll be living to at least 110, right? Yes!🙂

😁Only?

mistybear4 said:Yeah, they’re claiming that according to some study, obesity causes 112,000 deaths in the US annually, while staying just slightly above an ideal weight prevents 86,000 deaths per year...

112,000 - 86,000 = 26,000
So, by that logic, we're left with 26,000 deaths of people who weren't actually obese, but just had a "few extra pounds" to spare??? 😕

👋

No.

Out of the total number of deaths x, 112,000 were caused specifically by obesity.
Obesity isn't just being a little soft; it’s a significant deviation from an ideal weight—one should probably check the medical definition, but I believe we're talking about being roughly 30% to 50% over the limit.

Carrying a few extra pounds does not qualify as obesity.

Furthermore, your math is fundamentally flawed, and frankly, it’s impossible for it to work that way; if obesity causes 112,000 deaths every year, then those people are dead, plain and simple.
The individuals who survived precisely because they carried a few extra pounds cannot be factored into that specific death toll; first off, carrying a few extra pounds isn't obesity, and second, you can't exactly resurrect the deceased just because they happened to be a couple of pounds heavier when they passed. Those people aren't included in the x representing the total death count simply because they haven't died yet..

Do you follow me?

fadedtrucker19 said:No.

Out of the total x, obesity was responsible for 112,000 of them.
Obesity isn't just being slightly overweight; you really ought to look up the clinical definition, but I'm pretty sure it starts at being roughly 30% to 50% over an ideal weight...

Carrying a few extra pounds doesn't make you obese.

Besides, your math just doesn't hold water, and frankly, it can't; if obesity causes 112,000 deaths annually, then that's the bottom line—those people are gone.
The folks who actually survived specifically because they had a little extra cushion don't fit into your equation; having a few extra pounds isn't obesity, and you certainly can't bring the dead back to life just because they were slightly heavier. Those people aren't part of the x total death count simply because they're still breathing.

Get it?

you're a real genius 🙏 (but only in certain circles) 😁

If you haven't caught on yet, I'm just messing with you because this whole study is nothing but pure nonsense that defies common sense... and the proof is in how the link vanished from the internet entirely... who knows why... we don't even know who authored this, probably some big fast-food chain like McDonald's, so there's no point in stressing over such stupidity... 😁

Do you get it now? 🙂

mistybear4 said:you're a regular genius 🙏 (though maybe only within certain niche circles) 😁

In case it hasn't clicked yet, I'm making a joke here because this entire study is nothing more than absolute nonsense that defies all common sense... and if you need proof, just look at how the link has already vanished from the internet... who knows what happened there, but we don't even know who authored this mess—it was probably some corporate fast-food chain looking for clicks—so please, don't waste your breath on such stupidity.. 😁

Do you follow me now? 🙂

The link didn't "vanish"; it's just that the OP can't find the article anymore because it was replaced by newer news updates.

If your strategy for mocking someone is to pretend you're the idiot, I have to admit, you're performing phenomenally well... though I'm genuinely curious how you can claim a study is garbage when you haven't even laid eyes on it.
How exactly does one conclude, "I haven't seen it, I don't know anything about it, therefore, it's total crap"?

Do you get it now?

fadedtrucker19 said:I don't see how you can call a study stupid if you haven't even looked at it.
How can you just say, "I haven't seen it, I don't know, so it's crap"?

because I actually understand nutrition and health, and honestly, only a fool would buy into the idea that "carrying a few extra pounds is healthier than being at an ideal weight"... 😉

so, let me guess, you actually believe that? 😁

mistybear4 said:just because I happen to know a thing or two about nutrition and wellness, it doesn't mean I'm right—though honestly, only a fool would actually buy into this idea that carrying "a few extra pounds is healthier than being at your ideal weight." 😉

So, let me get this straight... you actually believe that? 😁

There is a certain internal logic to the argument, I suppose...

Much like there is a certain logic to the claim that an average 5'3" person will outlive an average 6'0" person.

Only a complete idiot would dismiss an article without even bothering to read it... and it looks to me like that’s exactly what you’ve done. 😁