Lean men who had never smoked, but were obese with a BMI of 18.5 to 23.5, were 8 percent more likely to die—1.08 times more likely—during a 10-year follow-up than normal weight men who had never smoked with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, although there was more than a 5 percent chance that the difference was due to random chance, according to a new study from the US’s National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

To put this another way, men who were normal weight with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, were 15 percent less likely to die than lean men with a BMI of 18.5-23.5.

Lean women who had never smoked, but were obese with a BMI of 18.5 to 23.5, were 17 percent more likely to die—1.17 times more likely—during a 10-year follow-up than normal weight women who had never smoked with a BMI of 23.5 to 25 according to a new study from the US’s National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

To put this another way, women who were normal weight with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, were 15 percent less likely to die than lean women with a BMI of 18.5-23.5.

Underweight men who had never smoked with a BMI of less than 18.5 were 2.1 times more likely to die—111 percent more likely—during a 10-year follow-up than normal weight men who had never smoked with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, although there was more than a 5 percent chance that the difference was due to random chance, according to a new study from the US’s National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

To put this another way, women who were normal weight with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, were 53 percent less likely to die than lean women with a BMI of 18.5-23.5.

Underweight women who had never smoked with a BMI of less than 18.5 were 1.5 times more likely to die—151 percent more likely—during a 10-year follow-up than normal weight women who had never smoked with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, although there was more than a 5 percent chance that the difference was due to random chance, according to a new study from the US’s National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

To put this another way, women who were normal weight with a BMI of 23.5 to 25, were 34 percent less likely to die than lean women with a BMI of 18.5-23.5.

The risk of death is greater as body weight increases according to an analysis of data from men in the Physicians’ Health Study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Compared to people of normal weight, being obese increases the risk of death from cancer by 7 percent, increases the death from all causes by 22 percent, increases the risk of death from coronary heart disease by 57 percent, and increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 48 percent according to a analysis of data from twenty-six studies.

A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that obesity is associated with 111,909 early deaths in the U.S. each year as opposed to a previous estimate of 400,000 deaths per year.

Obesity increases the overall risk of death by 20 percent in men and 28 percent in women according to a new paper from Daniel L. McGee, statistician at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.

The risk of death increases modestly in people who are overweight (a BMI of 25 to 29.9), but increases substantially in someone obese (a BMI of 30 or more) according to the U.S. NIH’s Obesity Guidelines (p. 21).

Having a body mass index (BMI) of 27.8 or more increases the risk of death from from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer by 40 percent according to a new study from the Netherlands.