Two major trends in the U.S. are affecting public health. The first is a rapidly growing aging population. The second is that Americans are becoming increasingly overweight and obese. Now research reports that healthy aging is linked to women's weight. Women who maintain a healthy weight as adults may increase their odds of being healthy at age 70 and older.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, investigated the relationship between weight and healthy aging in women. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study including 17,065 women who survived until age 70 and older. Beginning in 1976, questionnaires about height, weight, health and lifestyle were obtained from the participants every two years. BMI (body mass index) and weight gain were measured over time.
The researchers found that only 10% of the participants were free of major chronic disease with good mental and physical functions (called "healthy survivors") by age 70. Furthermore, obese women at age 50 were 70% less likely than lean women at that age to be healthy survivors. Only 18% of women who were overweight and gained about 22 pounds by age 50 were healthy survivors.
"In summary, this study provides new evidence that greater adiposity at mid-life is a strong risk factor predicting a lower probability of healthy survival among older women," the study authors write. "In addition, our data suggest that weight maintenance throughout adulthood might be associated with optimal overall health at older ages."
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