It has been reported that if you are a few pounds extra than the ideal weight, when you are just past your prime age but without any other troubles health wise, it would actually help you live longer than usual according to the revelations of studies by scientists.

There is a definite boundary between the levels of slim, overweight and obese as far as the BMI is concerned but these boundaries are relatively a bit too narrow when the elderly people are concerned. While it is a proved fact that the extra fat is a definite risk in the case of middle aged and young people but for the elderly it is actually a boon that cushions the fragility and frailty of old age.

Although nothing is very certain about the way the BMI works with the lifespan, few studies bring to focus that the extra fat actually acts as a reserve for energy that helps to cope with the illness that old people have to cope up with as you grow older. With all these studies cropping up, being just a tad overweight in your old age is almost becoming the norm these days.