Extra Weight Said Won't Raise Death Risk

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer, Medicine & Health / Health

This photo provided by Laurie Slocum shows Slocum in 2000. locum, a 47-year-old banker from Durand, Ill., went from a size 20 to a size 12, losing 60 pounds after joining Weight Watchers two years ago. A new government study says that a few extra pounds don't raise risk of death from cancer, heart disease, but being obese does. Slocum said she feels too good now to use the study results as an excuse to indulge. (AP Photo/Laurie Slocum)

(AP) -- Being 25 pounds overweight doesn't appear to raise your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, says a new government study that seems to vindicate Grandma's claim that a few extra pounds won't kill you.

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Posted by CodeMonkey 11/06/07 19:31

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"a few extra pounds don't raise risk of death from cancer, heart disease, but being obese does."

Journalistic standards seem to be dropping...

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Posted by ontheinternets 11/07/07 04:26

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If you graph weight versus those diseases, does it really spike so much once you've become "obese"? I would expect it to be somewhat continuous, which would mean that you still ought to be careful about your weight in general. With this study's findings flying in the face of so many others, they need to explain to us just how this analysis differs.. or else I'm inclined to find it wrong.

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Posted by ontheinternets 11/07/07 04:34

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I suppose it's the interpretation of the results that is the most questionable.. as is often the case.

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Posted by fredrick 11/07/07 06:52

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With this study's findings flying in the face of so many others

please elaborate:
What exactly did these 'others' say?
To what extent does this fly in the face of the 'others'?
Just how many 'others' are there?
Are the 'others' using different methodologies / sample sizes / looking for different things?

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Posted by HarryStottle 11/19/07 07:28

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One relatively simple analysis would be to plot BMI against age of death. Anyone know if that's been done?