Today’s NYT has an article about how peple who are overweight have a lower death rate than those who are normal. Caution, this does not include people who are obese.
Causes of Death Are Linked to a Person’s Weight
— New York Times.
About two years ago, a group of federal researchers reported that
overweight people have a lower death rate than people who are normal
weight, underweight or obese. Now, investigating further, they found
out which diseases are more likely to lead to death in each weight
group.
Linking, for the first time, causes of death to specific weights, they
report that overweight people have a lower death rate because they are
much less likely to die from a grab bag of diseases that includes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, infections and lung disease. And that lower risk is not counteracted by increased risks of dying from any other disease, including cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
[snip]