Obesity is associated with ___1___ health problems. But a new study finds that obese people may actually have an advantage in a specific medical situation: they’re less likely to die after surgery from certain respiratory complications than are their non-obese ___2___. The finding was published online by the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine. [Stavros Memtsoudis et al., "Mortality of Patients with Respiratory Insufficiency and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Surgery: The Obesity Paradox," link to come]

Obese surgical patients get slightly fewer cases of the conditions known as ___3___ and adult respiratory distress syndrome. And their risk of dying in the hospital from these breathing difficulties was less than a third that of the non-obese patients who developed the same respiratory challenges.

The researchers have various ideas about why. People carrying more weight could have more energy and nutritional stores to ___4___. Also, fatty tissue could be ___5___ some of the inflammation compounds that exacerbate the breathing issues. Or it may be more simple: doctors and nurses may expect their fatter patients to have a tougher time, so they give them more attention.

Further study could reveal why the bigger patients have the smaller risk—which might lead to strategies to lower the risk for those lower in weight.
【视听版科学小组荣誉出品】
a host of counterparts respiratory insufficiency draw upon soaking up
肥胖会引发大量健康问题，然而最近的一项研究发现肥胖人士在某种情况下还是有点优势的：呼吸道综合症术后，肥胖人士的死亡几率相对较低。这项发现由《重症医学杂志》在网上发布。 肥胖人士术后较少出现呼吸功能不全及成人呼吸窘迫综合症等情况。他们死于呼吸困难的几率也比同样有呼吸困难的正常体重的人要少1/3。 对于这种现象的成因，研究人员看法各异。有人认为较胖的人囤积的能量和营养比较多，而且脂肪组织能吸收部分能使呼吸问题加剧的炎症化合物。亦或者更简单：医生和护士认为肥胖人士受到的折磨比较大，于是对他们关爱有加。 进一步的研究会帮助我们揭开大胖子危险小的奥秘——也为降低瘦小群体的危险提供点借鉴。