Just a Little Overweight? You're Still at Risk

If you think that carrying around a little extra meat on your bones might actually be good for you, think again: A new study shows that simply being overweight—not obese—is enough to put you at risk of a premature death. Researchers looked at a pool of 19 long-term studies involving 1.5 million people, mostly white, and found that overweight adults who were otherwise healthy and didn't smoke were about 13% more likely to die during the time they were studied.

"Having a little extra meat on your bones—if that meat happens to be fat—is harmful, not beneficial," says one researcher, despite previous research suggesting that a little bit of extra weight can be good. The studies used focused on Caucasians, and researchers say evidence suggests that African Americans may have lower risk and Asians higher risk when comparing similar BMIs. (Meanwhile, the FDA is considering lowering the weight threshold for lap-band surgery: Click here for more on that.)