Do Heavier People Live Longer Than Average?

Even though being “pleasingly plump” may only be in vogue during your grandparents’ generation, but do heavier people live a bit longer than average?

By: Ringo Bones

In a decade-long study conducted on 2.8 million research participants around the world by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown, surprisingly, that “slightly overweight people” - i.e. persons who weigh 5 to 6 percent above their ideal body mass index tend to live 5 to 6 percent longer than people who weigh within or below their ideal body mass index. Will the results of this research study undermine the commitment of those folks already sticking to their live-lengthening caloric restrictive diet regimen?

Even though morbidly obese people still have a way higher mortality rate in comparison to individuals who weigh within or slightly above their ideal body mass index, slightly heavier folks that weigh 5 to 6 percent above their ideal body mass index – especially if they can jog for a mile without collapsing – are living on average 5 to 6 percent longer than their thinner counterparts. The latest US-CDC study also show results that persons who weigh 5 to 6 percent above their ideal body mass index have a significantly statistically better chances of surviving during medical emergencies. Proving the old World War II-era adage of a “healthy pleasingly plump figure”?