Daily HealthBeat Tip

Who dies in the crash

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I�m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Disobey the laws of traffic safety? You�ll obey the laws of physics, which govern being bounced around in the crash.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have been looking into crashes. They found that, in men, the odds of living fell as obesity rose. Stephen Hargarten says it amounts to another reason for men to control their weight.

"Obesity has significant risks beyond illness and that includes injury, and in particular, the risk of death from motor vehicle crashes." (nine seconds)

Skinny men had a bit higher risk. The least was among slightly overweight men. Weight didn�t seem to be a factor for women. The researchers suggest it�s because weight is distributed differently in women.

The study, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was in the online American Journal of Public Health.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April 17, 2006

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