Inflammation, adiposity, and mortality in the oldest old

Increased proinflammatory status is associated with both increased adiposity and higher mortality risk. Thus, it is paradoxical that mild obesity does not predict increased mortality in older adults. We investigated the association of inflammatory markers with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in nonagenarians, and the combined effects of BMI, WC, WHR, and inflammatory status on mortality.

This study was based on a prospective population-based study, Vitality 90+, carried out in Tampere, Finland. Altogether, 157 women and 53 men aged 90 years were subjected to anthropometric measurements, blood samples, and a 4-year mortality follow-up. Inflammatory status was based on sex-specific median levels of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).

In the unadjusted linear regression analyses, IL-1RA, CRP, and TNF-α were positively associated with BMI and WC in women, whereas in men IL-1RA was positively associated with BMI and IL-6 positively with WC. In the models adjusted for diseases, functional status, and smoking, IL-1RA and CRP were positively associated with BMI and WC in women. Low WC and WHR combined with low inflammation protected from mortality in women and high BMI and WC regardless of inflammation protected from mortality in men in the adjusted Cox regression analysis.

In the oldest old, the effect of adiposity in combination with inflammatory status on mortality differs between men and women. More research is needed to disentangle the role of adiposity among the oldest old.