STUDY: CHUBBY PEOPLE LIVE LONGEST

People who are overweight at the age of 40 live longer on average than people with other physiques, according to a study by the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. The study showed that thin people had the shortest life expectancy, on average dying six or seven years earlier than overweight people.

Researchers studied the health of about 50,000 people aged 40 or older over a 12-year period. They looked at the past physiques of the participants and how long they lived past the age of 40, and grouped them according to their body mass index (BMI), an indicator of how fat a person is.

However, the link between physique and life expectancy is not clearly understood.

The study also found that the fatter a person is, the greater their medical expenses. For example: The average lifetime medical expenses for overweight mena and women from the age of 40 is about $195,000 - 30 per cent higher than for thin people.

[Because they're living longer and, contrary to the smokers-costing-more myth, it's the prolongation of life that's expensive.]

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