How Obesity Relates to Old Age

Obesity is becoming a big problem in the United States. What makes this problem bigger is the recent study that shows the effects of obesity in old age. According to U.S. researchers, maintaining a trim and healthy body during your younger years can lead to a healthier and even more mobile old age. The elderly generally managed better if they were trim when they were 25, 50 years of age.

In the study, researchers examined data on more than 2,800 people in the Memphis and Pittsburgh metropolitan areas. These people were between the ages of 70 and 79. They discovered that those men and women who were overweight or obese when they were 25 and 50 years old, as well as during the time of the study, scored considerably lower on the physical performance tests compared to those who had normal weight during those ages. This was reported in the International Journal of Obesity.

In those physical performance tests, the participants had their walking speed, balance and ability to rise from a chair measured and observed. The researchers found out that poor physical performance in older people is an indication of future disability, nursing home admission and even death.

The study also determined that people who were obese or overweight in the early or middle part of adulthood had lower marks than those who only became obese or overweight in the latter part of adulthood. According to Denise K. Houston, an instructor in internal medicine-gerontology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, there might be several reasons for these reports. She also mentioned that obesity might have serious physical effects. For one thing, it may lead to joint wear and tear. Obesity can also greatly reduce your exercise capacity. Also, it can lead to a higher rate of chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and arthritis that can all cause physical disability.

Being obese during the early and middle adulthood stages can lead to an earlier onset of chronic diseases and lower physical activity. These would then contribute to a sizable loss in muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness. With obesity, your physical performance generally deteriorates.

Houston says prevention is the key. Her reports suggest that interventions to prevent obesity and overweight during the early and middle parts of adulthood are helpful in avoiding or delaying the onset of physical disability later in life.

In a nutshell, you should start living a healthy lifestyle while you are still young. You should be conscious about maintaining your body weight. If you are already overweight, begin your lifestyle change by getting into a weight loss program and keeping yourself trim and healthy. You can get a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet everyday, exercising regularly and taking some natural weight loss supplements. You can still indulge once in a while, but just take everything in moderation. Resist the urge to grab another slice of pie. You will be thankful for it when you reach your ripe old age.