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Eldercare & Nutrition
Elderly May Need Extra Pounds to Live Longer Lives
Body Mass Index may need to be adjusted for those
over 80
May 16, 2006 - If you’re more than 80 years old,
carrying a few extra pounds might not be such a bad idea. In fact, it
may be beneficial. That’s one of the findings from a joint UC Irvine and
University of Southern California analysis of body mass index (BMI) and
mortality rates from participants of a large-scale study based in a
Southern California retirement community.
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The analysis found that study participants in their
80s and 90s who were overweight by BMI standards (25 to 29.9 range) had
lower mortality rates than those who were in the normal range (18.5 to
24.9).
The findings suggest that the BMI scale, which
applies to all adults, may not be appropriate for the elderly and should
be age-adjusted. This supports other research offering the same
conclusion.
“We found that what’s recommended for everyone else
with body mass index measurements isn’t necessarily the best for the
elderly,” says Maria Corrada, an epidemiologist in the UCI School of
Medicine who led the analysis effort. “It seems that if you’re in your
80s or 90s, you may live even longer if you are a bit overweight by BMI
standards.”
The study, which is part of the Leisure World
Cohort Study at Laguna Woods, Calif., looked at survey data taken from
13,451 residents in the large retirement community in 1981-83 and 1985.
The residents, whose average age was 73 at the time of the survey,
provided their height and weight at age 21 and at the time of the
survey.
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Editor's Note:
On April 19, 2005, the government issued new
statistics on obesity, and, although it made clear that being
overweight can have fatal results, for the elderly being
underweight also appears lethal. The new study found 34,000 more
deaths than expected among the underweight and most of
these deaths were among people age 70 or older.
This National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) data indicated 65 percent of U.S. adults aged 20
years and older are overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of
25 or higher, or obese with a BMI of 30 or higher. |
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In addition to finding that those who were
overweight had the lowest mortality rates, the researchers discovered:
● People who were underweight at the time of the
survey (BMI below 18.5) had the highest mortality rates, even higher
than those who were obese (BMI 30 and up).
● People who were either overweight or obese at
age 21 had increased mortality rates. This held true even if they lost
the weight by the time of the survey.
● People who lost weight between age 21 and late
adulthood had increased mortality regardless of their weight at age 21.
“What’s interesting about these findings is that it
supports previous studies that recommend people to stay in the ‘normal’
BMI range during young adulthood and slowly gain weight during their
elderly years,” Corrada said. “In turn, obesity during young adulthood
and being underweight during the elderly years leads to higher mortality
rates.”
“The overall message,” Corrada added, “should be
that what constitutes a ‘normal’ range for people over 80s should be
re-examined.”
The study appears in the May 15 issue of the
American Journal of Epidemiology.
Founded by Dr. Annlia Paganini-Hill of the Keck
School of Medicine of USC in 1981, the population-based Leisure World
Cohort Study studies aging-related health issues. UCI geriatric
neurologist Dr. Claudia Kawas and Corrada also manage the Clinic for
Aging Research and Education at Leisure World, where they work with
people who are aged 90 or over to study ways to maximize the potential
of the oldest-old as they age. The clinic is part of the Institute for
Brain Aging & Dementia at UCI. For more information, see
www.alz.uci.edu.
Paganini-Hill, Kawas and Farah Mozaffar of UCI
collaborated with Corrada on this study, which received support from the
National Institutes of Health.
About Body Mass Index: The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services uses BMI to measure overweight and obesity.
BMI is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height and is a
reliable indicator of body fatness for people. It does not measure body
fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct
measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an easy-to-perform method of
screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems. The
use of BMI allows people to compare their own weight status to that of
the general population. For more information, see
www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi.
About the University of California, Irvine: The
University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to
research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is
among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more
than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty
members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI
contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI
news, visit
www.today.uci.edu.
Television: UCI has a broadcast studio available
for live or taped interviews. For more information, visit
www.today.uci.edu/broadcast.
News Radio: UCI maintains on campus an ISDN line
for conducting interviews with its faculty and experts. The use of this
line is available free-of-charge to radio news programs/stations who
wish to interview UCI faculty and experts. Use of the ISDN line is
subject to availability and approval by the university.
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