Obese people have lower pain threshold, new research shows
A new study, carried out at Leeds Beckett University, highlights the differences in pain response between different groups of people. The results could reinforce the argument for weight loss programmes being part of pain management plans for obese people suffering from chronic pain. The team investigated 74 volunteers, categorised as obese, overweight or normal according to their body mass index (BMI) -- a standard way of measuring if a person is at a healthy weight for their height. Volunteers in each group had pressure, cold and heat applied to two different areas of the body. The first experiment tested the hand, at the base of the thumb, an area that has little body fat. The second measured responses near the waist, in an area where extra fat is stored. Volunteers were asked to report at what point the pressure, cold or heat first felt painful. Each volunteer was also asked to report their experience of cold pain by putting their hands into icy water. Again, they were ask...