Overweight men are less likely to develop a hernia in the groin than their slimmer counterparts, according to media reports Friday quoting a long-term study.

The study by researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Ostra, Sweden, said that men who were obese in middle-age were 43 percent less likely than normal-weight men to be diagnosed with the condition over the next three decades.

Groin hernias arise when intestinal tissue protrudes through a weak spot in the inguinal canal, an opening between the layers of abdominal muscle in the groin area.

Excessive pressure on the abdominal wall, such as the strain of heavy lifting, can cause a hernia. Extra fat and thickness of the abdominal wall keep hernias from forming.

Obese men may have a lower hernia risk, but they still have an elevated risk of numerous other medical conditions.

(Agencies via Xinhua June 27, 2008)