Being Even a Little Overweight Increases Health Risks

A recent study concluded that being even a little overweight increases the health risks associated with obesity.

Lugging around a few extra pounds? One of the largest studies to look at health and weight finds that you don't have to be obese to raise your risk of premature death. Merely being overweight carries some risk, too.

Obesity increases the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. But whether being merely overweight contributes to an early death as well has been uncertain and controversial. Some research has suggested being a little pudgy has little effect or can even be a good thing.

The latest research involving about 1.5 million people concluded that healthy white adults who were overweight were 13 percent more likely to die during the time they were followed in the study than those whose weight is in an ideal range.Being Even A Little Overweight, Increases Health Risks. Read more

Half Of Overweight Adults May Be Heart-Healthy

A lot of people, especially women, obsess about their weight - and sometimes other people's. The conventional wisdom is that overweight people are heart attacks waiting to happen, so they should be badgered and shamed to lose weight "for their own good." However, a new study suggests that about half of overweight people have perfectly health hearts.

You can look great in a swimsuit and still be a heart attack waiting to happen. And you can also be overweight and otherwise healthy. A new study suggests that a surprising number of overweight people _ about half _ have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while an equally startling number of trim people suffer from some of the ills associated with obesity.

The first national estimate of its kind bolsters the argument that you can be hefty but still healthy, or at least healthier than has been believed. Read more