Posted on 01/30/2010 12:23:21 AM PST by SmartInsight
People who carry a few extra pounds after age 70 tend to live longer than people who don’t, new research finds.
Overweight older adults who took part in the Australian study had a clear survival advantage over those who were normal weight, underweight, or obese.
The findings suggest that the widely accepted body mass index (BMI) weight guidelines may not be particularly useful after age 70, lead researcher Leon Flicker, PhD, of the University of Western Australia tells WebMD.
Last summer, researchers in Canada reported the same findings after analyzing data from more than 11,000 adults followed for more than a decade.
In that study, people who met the criteria for being overweight were 17% less likely to die compared to people of normal weight.
In the newly reported research, overweight study participants in their 70s followed for up to 10 years had a 13% lower risk of death than participants classified as normal weight.
Women who were sedentary were twice as likely to die as women who got regular exercise, regardless of BMI.
The effect was seen in men, but to a lesser degree. A sedentary lifestyle was associated with a 28% increase in death among men.
(Excerpt) Read more at webmd.com ...
“Or maybe “normal weight” should be defined as a few pounds more thant what it is now, and the “slightly overweight” people are actually at an optimum weight for health.”
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That would appear to be the message. The current charts say that at six feet and four inches I should weigh a MAXIMUM of 202 pounds at which weight I would look like a stick and everyone would be asking me what is wrong.
No way, I don’t want to live more than another 20 years!!!
“Yes you can!”
Yeah, you’re probably right. The misery of existence is unrelenting.
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