Weight stability could be the key to a longer life, research found

Key points:

• • Researchers found that women over the age of 60 were up to twice as likely to live longer if they maintained, rather than unintentionally lost, weight

• Older women who unintentionally lost weight were 51 percent less likely to live to the age of 90

• Weight gain of five percent or more was also associated with reduced longevity, when compared to those who maintained a consistent body weight

Newly published research found that women over the age of 60 were more likely to live to be 90, 95 or even 100 if they maintained a stable weight, rather than losing or gaining weight.

The multi-institutional study led by the University of California, San Diego, assessed 54,437 women who enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative — a program that aims to study major causes of death, disability and frailty in older women.

When researchers followed up with participants, 30,647, or 56 percent of women, survived to the age of 90 or beyond.

First author Aladdin H. Shadyab, associate professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego, explained that in the United States, older women may experience obesity, with a body mass index, or BMI, of 25 – 35.

“Our findings support stable weight as a goal for longevity in older women,” the assoc/prof said.

“If ageing women find themselves losing weight when they are not trying to lose weight, this could be a warning sign of ill-health and a predictor of decreased longevity.”

The study, published in the online edition of Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, is the first large-scale research study of its kind, assessing the correlation between weight change in older age.

Authors of the research findings expressed that general health advice for older women to ‘lose weight’ may not necessarily lead to a longer life. However, researchers acknowledged that this applied solely to an unintentional weight loss of five percent or more — which would imply sickness or disease. 

Weight loss of five percent or greater over the course of six to twelve months may be a symptom of:

• Muscle atrophy
• Hyperthyroidism — which women were two to 10 times more likely to develop
• Depression
• Rheumatoid arthritis — which women were two to three times more likely to develop
• Tuberculosis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Endocarditis
• Cancer
• Addison’s disease
• Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly referred to as HIV
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
• Congestive heart failure

Unplanned weight loss in seniors may also be tied to malnutrition, cognitive decline, loneliness and polypharmacy; an article from the Australian Family Physician stated that over 250 different drugs impact the intake, absorption, metabolism and excretion of nutrients.

If you have experienced unexplained weight loss over the course of six to twelve months, visit your local doctor to discuss interventions so that you can stay happy and healthy in your senior years.

What is your target weight and which steps are you taking to attain and maintain it? The team at Talking Aged Care would love to hear from you!