Extra pounds may be healthy - as long as its just a few

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Turns out a few extra pounds may not be such a bad thing, according to a new analysis of nearly three million adults that showed people who are overweight or slightly obese may live longer.

But experts were quick to caution that the possible benefits dropped off when the "few" extra pounds turned into many.

The researchers used data from nearly 100 studies from around the world, with health information from more than 2.8 million adults.

Among the sampled population, there were around 270,000 deaths within the study period.