According to new research from Italy, being obese in old age is associated with a greater likelihood of being disabled and speedier age-related decline.
Researches looked at 2,910 men and women 65 or older, all of whom had reported how much they weighed at age 50 (but not whether or not they were disabled at this age). The researchers defined disability as having difficulty performing at least one activity of daily living, such as showering or dressing oneself.
Between age 50 and the time they entered the study, 30.6 percent of the men and 38.7 percent of the women gained more than 10 percent of their original body weight.
For people with a normal body mass index (BMI) at age 50, those who gained 5 percent to 10 percent of their original weight were 1.46 times more likely to be disabled when they entered the study, while people who gained more than 10 percent of their initial weight were at 1.61 times greater risk.
Read more about it at Reuters
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