This was the impressive conclusion of a study published by the Public Library of Science Medicine. The study was sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Health Welfare and Sport.
Obese people had the highest health care costs between the ages of 20 and 56. Obese folks and smokers were found to have a higher rate of heart disease than others.
However, the authors found that the obese and those who smoke had lower lifetime health care costs than the healthy because they died sooner.
Makes me think the Dutch Parliament must also have a pork barrel spending problem.