Watch the scale

Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Americans who carry just a few extra pounds at age 50 raise their risk of dying 20 to 40 percent compared with those who are at the optimal weight, a study says.

The findings, gathered over 10 years, come from a study of more than 500,000 members of the AARP, the organization for older Americans. The increased risk was most pronounced among overweight people who didn't smoke, eliminating another major risk factor, the researchers said.

The risk from carrying 10 to 20 extra pounds has been debated for years in medical circles. While no one disputes the fact that the obese are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease and cancer, the danger from a few pounds that gradually creep on with age has been less clear, researchers said.

``We know that being obese causes all sorts of health risks to increase,'' said Lawrence Cheskin, director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. ``What is hard to demonstrate is that for people who are not extremely heavy, there is a risk of actual death.''