A few extra pounds won't kill you, study says

Last update: November 6, 2007 - 7:45 PM

CHICAGO - Being 25 pounds overweight doesn't appear to raise your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease, says a new government study that seems to vindicate Grandma's claim that a few extra pounds won't kill you.

The news isn't all good: Overweight people do have a higher chance of dying from diabetes and kidney disease.

And people who are obese -- generally those more than 30 pounds overweight for their height -- have a higher risk of death from a variety of ills, including some cancers and heart disease. However, having a little extra weight actually seemed to help people survive some illnesses -- results that baffled several leading health researchers.

The study, which appears in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed the body-mass index of people who died from various diseases. In many cases, the risks of death were substantial for obese people -- those with a body-mass index, or BMI, of at least 30.

Specifically, obesity raised the risk of death from heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease, and several cancers previously linked with excess weight, including breast, colon and pancreatic cancer. But being merely overweight -- having a BMI between 25 and 30 -- did not increase the risk of dying from heart disease or any kind of cancer.

Enlarged heart a top cause of death for athletes

NEW YORK - An enlarged heart is the biggest cause of sudden death among young athletes -- deaths that could be prevented with more and better screening, experts at an American Heart Association meeting said after the weekend death of marathon runner Ryan Shay, 28.

According to his father, Shay had an enlarged heart that was first diagnosed when he was 14. But whether that contributed to his death isn't known. Autopsy results are expected later.

Too often, heart problems that can cause an irregular heartbeat and sudden death are missed because there isn't enough uniform screening of athletes, said Dr. Lori Mosca, director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

About 125 athletes under 35 involved in organized sports die of sudden death in the United States each year, said Dr. Barry J. Maron of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. The institute tracks such deaths in a national registry.

An analysis of 387 cases from the registry showed the vast majority were cardiac-related. About a quarter involved a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which causes an enlarged heart. About 20 percent were from a blow to the chest, such as being hit by a bat or ball.

Abstinence programs not working, study says

WASHINGTON - Programs that focus exclusively on abstinence have not been shown to affect teenager sexual behavior, although they are eligible for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, according to a study released by a nonpartisan group that seeks to reduce teen pregnancies.

Based on a review of research into teen sexual behavior, the report is being released today by the nonpartisan National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

The study found that while abstinence-only efforts appear to have little positive impact, more comprehensive sex education programs do have "positive outcomes," including teenagers "delaying the initiation of sex, reducing the frequency of sex, reducing the number of sexual partners and increasing condom or contraceptive use."

Associated Press

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