ATLANTA (WAOK) – A new review of close to 100 past studies appears to be lending some credence to the concept of a so-called “obesity paradox.” The new study’s lead author, a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says there is clear link between being somewhat overweight and having a lower risk of dying. While it would seem counterintuitive, the millions of people who took part in the earlier studies were found to have about a six percent lower risk of dying if they were overweight or just slightly obese, when compared to their normal weight peers. Severe obesity remains another issue, and was tied to a nearly 30 percent higher risk of death. Writing in the “Journal of the American Medical Association,” the researchers were unable to give a solid explanation for why the obesity paradox appears to exist.