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If you are slim, you might be forgiven for thinking it wouldn’t matter if you put on a pound or two.

But when it comes to your health, every pound matters – even for those who are thin, the Daily Mail reports, citing scientists.

A study showed that levels of blood chemicals linked to heart disease, diabetes, liver problems and other conditions increased with weight.

But importantly, those who started off at a normal, healthy weight weren’t in the clear, with even small amounts of weight gain seemingly damaging their health.

Researcher Peter Wurtz said: ‘In a way, every pound counts.’

Dr Wurtz, of the University of Oulu in Finland, first analysed blood samples drawn from more than 12,500 young men and women.

The analysis involved looking at levels of various fats, proteins and compounds linked to ill health. He showed that the heavier someone was, the worse their readings were.

He then looked at what happened when the young men and women put on weight over a period of five or six years. This showed that even small amounts of weight gain led to worse blood test results – even among those who were thin. The effect was seen from a body mass index (BMI) of around 20.

BMI is a measure of a person’s weight that takes into account their height and is used to classify people as being of normal or healthy weight, underweight, overweight or obese.

A BMI of 18.5 to 25 is classed as being normal or healthy.

A man who is 5ft 10in tall and has a BMI of 20 – the point at which weight gain starts to matter – would weigh just 10 stone and so seem skinny. Similarly, a 5ft 4in woman with a BMI of 20 would weigh 8st 5lb and so could be forgiven for thinking she could put on a pound or two without much harm.

However, there is some good news. Writing in the journal PLOS Medicine, Dr Wurtz said that losing any weight put on does improve a person’s blood test readings.

He added that it is also possible to be too thin – and stressed that he is not suggesting that people become severely underweight.

Professor Nick Finer, a bariatric surgeon at University College London Hospitals, described the research as ‘important and rigorous.’