life expectancy

Once in a while there emerges health news that makes everyone scratch their heads. Here comes one of those moments…

If you are overweight – but only a little bit – congratulations, you are probably going to live the longest of any of us. That’s right, according to a new study people who were overweight, but not obese, were in prime position to outlive everyone else.

In the study, published in the journal Obesity, experts followed people 25 and older for 12 years. What they found was that people in the body mass index range of 25-29.9 were 17 percent less likely to die than those who were normal weight (a BMI of 18.5-24.9). Those who were underweight, a BMI less than 18.5, were 73 percent more likely to die than those who were normal weight.

Ever wander how the acute care that you apply to your lifestyle is extending those nine lives of yours? Whether you exercise, eat your Super Foods and pop your multi-vitamin daily with the intention of extending your life, to ward off disease or to feel great about yourself, there is a new calculator which can predict how long you live. This calculation is based on a number of factors.

A little more scientific than spending $75 on psychic reading, The Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator uses the most current and carefully researched medical and scientific data in order to estimate how old you will live to be. And it’s free! The calculator was created by Thomas Perls M.D., MPH who is the founder and director of the New England Centenarian Study, the largest study of centenarians and their families in the world.

If this sounds a bit intimidating, take comfort in knowing that if you score lower than you would hope for, there are tons of lifestyle and medical preventive measures you can take to ensure that you live a long and healthy life. And the feedback at the end of the calculator points out these areas that could help add a few more years to your life.