Forget what some skinny gym instructor tells you – it appears bigger is sometimes better, particularly as people get older.

A new Australian study has found that “overweight” people over the age of 70 are actually less likely to die over a 10-year period than their peers in the “normal” weight range.

The study, which was published on January 28 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, contradicts other research that suggests being overweight leads to a long list of health problems such as heart disease.

People who are overweight – but not obese – tend to live longer than people who are underweight or normal weight, according to a new study.

The Canadian study was published in the online journal Obesity, and found that people who were underweight or extremely obese (based on their body mass index or BMI) died the earliest reports WebMD.