Most of us put on a few pounds around this time of year but chalk it up to a little holiday weight gain. A new study, however, may have you looking at your weight in a different light. You may believe if you are not obese, your weight isn’t impacting your health, but guess what? A new study shows that normal weight people who carry excess fat around their bellies are at an even greater risk of death than those who are overweight, or obese.

The culprit is known as visceral fat. This fat that is stored around the midsection is associated with insulin increase and inflammation. This is one of the main reason that visceral fat is so dangerous, it causes an increased risk for heart issues and other health problems that can increase the chance of death.

This may answer the question of why many obese people actually outlive otherwise seemingly healthy individuals. Of course, this in no way means that those who are obese are completely out of the woods. There are a variety of other health risks that come with being obese.

Recent studies have shown yet another flaw in using the BMI as a complete measure of healthy weight. It appears that where your fat is distributed has more to do with your health than what your BMI reflects.

Additional research is still needed on the subject but for those of us who identify as “skinny fat,” exercising and good eating patterns may be even more important than we ever thought.