The pleasantly plump may have a lower risk of death than people at their ideal weight or the very obese, says a new report.
The government report in the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed 97 studies covering more than 2.8 million people. It found the lowest risk among the overweight but not obese. Those just over the obesity threshold had the next lowest risk.
However, the heaviest participants were 29 percent more likely to die.