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Related Experiment Videos

Body weight as a risk factor in the elderly.

M Tayback1, S Kumanyika, E Chee

  • 1Division of Geriatric Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

Archives of Internal Medicine
|May 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Low body weight, not high, is linked to increased mortality in older adults. Standard overweight definitions may be inappropriate for this age group, warranting further investigation into low-weight risks.

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Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Body weight is a crucial factor in health outcomes.
  • Established definitions of overweight and underweight may not accurately reflect mortality risks in older populations.
  • Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the association between body mass index and mortality in elderly individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality risk in older adults.
  • To evaluate the appropriateness of current BMI classifications for predicting mortality in individuals aged 55 and above.
  • To identify specific BMI ranges associated with increased mortality in the elderly population.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 4710 white respondents of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
  • Participants were aged 55 to 74 years during the 1971-1975 survey period.
  • Follow-up averaged 8.7 years, with mortality data analyzed using multivariate analysis controlling for factors like blood pressure, smoking, and poverty.

Main Results:

  • Low body weight (BMI < 22 kg/m²) was associated with increased mortality (relative risk, 1.3–1.6), except in women aged 55–64.
  • Men in the highest BMI decile (≥ 30 kg/m²) showed a moderate increased mortality risk (relative risk, 1.1–1.2).
  • No significant additional mortality risk was found for higher body weight among women.

Conclusions:

  • Current definitions of overweight lack specificity for older persons without pre-existing weight-related conditions.
  • Low body weight appears to be a more consistent predictor of increased mortality in older adults than previously recognized.
  • Further research is needed to understand the implications of low body weight and refine BMI guidelines for the elderly population.

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