Being fat is still better than being thin and out of shape: Study

If you are skinny but carrying too much weight around your middle than it can put your health at risk.

Normal-weight adults with central obesity have the worst long-term survival rate compared with any group. (Shutterstock)

Do you have lots of fat around your waistline that makes you look skinny-fat? A new study says that thin people who carry extra pounds around their belly have a greater mortality risk than those who are overweight with normal fat distribution.

Read: Five foods to eat everyday to get that fit and flat tummy

Researchers examined data from a large group of Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) participants to compare the total and cardio-vascular mortality risks with different combinations of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios (WHR).

Too much weight around your middle can put your health at risk. (Shutterstock)

They found that normal-weight adults with central obesity have the worst long-term survival rate compared with any group, regardless of BMI.

The data showed that a normal-weight person with central obesity had twice the mortality risk of participants who were overweight or obese according to BMI only.

The article was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

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