Obesity Epidemic: Double Trouble for Seniors

Ivanhoe Newswire
Wednesday, February 7, 2007; 12:00 AM

By Lucy Williams, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The obesity epidemic is far-reaching, impacting the young, old and everyone in-between. This is bad news for seniors, who gain fat and lose lean muscle mass as they age.

The combination of the obesity epidemic and aging fat has dangerous implications for older individuals. Obesity is associated with an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis. Adults ages 70 to 79 are at a critical period for the development of physical disabilities. A high level of body fat combined with loss of lean muscle mass can contribute to the onset of physical disabilities.

Recent research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., reveals there are more obese seniors than ever before. From the early 1980s to 2000, the obesity rate in older adults doubled.

"For this extra amount, we've increased the amount of fat mass with a very moderate increase in lean mass, which means we're not just getting bigger, we're also getting fattier," lead author Jingzhong Ding, M.D., Ph.D., a Wake Forest researcher, told Ivanhoe. "We also found lean mass gradually declines and fat mass increases with age."

Researchers measured body composition changes in 1,786 adults ages 70 to 79 from 1997 to 2003. They found both men and women gained fat and lost lean muscle mass during the study. People who spent a larger proportion of their living years during the obesity epidemic were more likely to be fat. Participants split into 10 groups based on their birth year. People who were younger during the onset of the obesity epidemic were most likely to be fat. Eighty-year-old men born in 1927 had about 10 more pounds of fat and 3.75 more pounds of muscle compared to 80-year-old men born in 1918.

Statistics from the 1980s did not clearly indicate the body composition of older adults. Further research is needed to determine whether the obesity epidemic has an evident impact on the ratio of fat to muscle.