Changes in body weight and girths in black and white adults studied over a 25 year interval

Changes in body weight and shape with 25 years of aging were examined using anthropometric measurements collected in the biracial Charleston Heart Study cohort. Measurements were available from 370 men and women who were in both the 1963 and 1988 examinations. Over the 25 year interval, mean weight increased 5.4 kg in subjects who were 37-46 years of age, while mean weight decreased by 2.6 kg in 55-74 year old subjects. Nevertheless, subjects in both age categories increased in abdominal girth (10.3 cm in the younger groups vs 4.7 cm in the older subjects). There was a positive linear relationship between changes in BMI and changes in the girth measurement. With no change in body mass index (BMI), estimated increases in abdominal circumference were 2.8 cm in white women, 6.6 cm in black women, 6.3 cm in white men and 7.5 cm in black men. This longitudinal study confirms cross-sectional studies that have shown increases in trunk girth with age, and in addition shows that girths change with aging, even in the absence of changes in BMI.