Surprising Science — March 19, 2011

Despite Obesity, Life Expectancy Rising

We are living longer despite getting fatter, and there is no sign yet that the increase in life expectancy is coming to an end, according to a study from the International Journal of Epidemiology.

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Although a completely sedentary lifestyle is dangerous to your health, being a little chubby while living an active life does not dramatically decrease life expectancy. “A baby born today in the West can look forward to between six and eight years of extra life compared with one born in 1970. … Professor David Leon, an expert on population health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who analysed the figures in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said: ‘There is a tendency for people to talk about things going wrong. But it is important the public are made aware that, so far, things are going right.'”

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