Overweight and Obese Women With Lower Odds of Healthy Aging and Survival, Study Shows

Overweight and obese women have lower odds of healthy survival later in life, study shows. Instead of healthy aging, inability to maintain healthy weight in women was associated with more health problems.

Most women don't focus on long-term obesity effects when they try to lose weight. They often focus on looking good as their motivation for weight loss and weight management. But, the health effects of obesity and being overweight are far more serious and can lead to chronic diseases as well as premature death. Obese individuals have a greater risk of having cancer, diabetes, stroke and other health problems.

Being overweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher. In contrast, obesity is defined as having a BMI of 30 or higher. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height; it provides a reasonable indicator of body fat and risk for obesity-related diseases.

A new study by Harvard School of Public Health as well as Brigham and Women's Hospital shows that among women who lived to age 70, being overweight in mid-life was associated with having more health problems later in life. They had impaired cognitive, mental and physical function as well as multiple chronic diseases. In contrast, women who were lean at age 18 and maintained a healthy weight through mid-life had the best odds of healthy survival later in life.

In this study, healthy survival to age 70 and over was defined as not having substantial cognitive, physical or mental limitations or any history of major chronic diseases.

Obese women had 79% lower odds of healthy survival compared with lean women. The more weight gained from age 18 until mid-life, the lower the odds of healthy survival after the age of 70. The worst odds of healthy survival were found among women who were overweight at age 18 and gained 10 kg or more by middle age compared with women who were lean and maintained a healthy weight.

These findings show that being overweight or obese is strongly associated with decreased probability of healthy survival among women who live to older ages. They provide evidence for the importance of maintaining a healthy weight from early adulthood and later in life.

The good news is that healthy aging is not totally due to heredity and other factors which can not be changed. These findings suggest that women can increase their odds of enjoying a long and healthy life if they maintain a healthy weight from early adulthood to their later years.