Weight loss in old age prolongs life
Scientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, led by Stephen Kritchevsky, found that those elderly people who intentionally lost weight through additional physical exertion and (or) diet halved the risk of mortality over the next eight years after weight loss.
Krichevsky's group analyzed the results of a study in the late 90s aimed at assessing the impact of weight loss and physical activity on the physical condition of 318 people over 60 years old suffering from arthritis of the knee joints. All the volunteers – elderly people living a normal daily life – were overweight at the time of the study. The first stage of weight loss, which took place over 18 months from 1996 to 1998, resulted in an average loss of 4.7 kg in 159 elderly volunteers. People from the control group who did not make efforts to lose weight also lost weight naturally, on average by 1.4 kg.
After 8 years, the researchers found out which of the participants in the experiment left this world. Mortality among those who lost weight turned out to be two times lower than those who did not make efforts to lose weight. At the same time, in the older age group (75 years and more) the correlation between weight loss and reduced mortality was the same as in those aged 60 to 75.
The result obtained by Krichevsky's group was a complete surprise for gerontologists. For many years, it has been believed in the medical community that weight loss in old age increases the risk of death and is a bad prognostic sign. Dr. Krichevsky explains the contradiction with an incorrect interpretation of the data: most likely, the weight loss in elderly subjects in the studies of other scientists was not intentional, but caused by some diseases. The elderly people who participated in Krichevsky's study experienced only health problems characteristic of their age group, and nothing more.
Krichevsky claims that weight loss in old age helps to combat age-related problems such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Despite the reliable relationship between intentional weight loss in old age and an increase in life expectancy, Krichevsky is cautious in his recommendations, since the study was conducted on a relatively small group of people and additional research is needed for more thorough conclusions. Until the results are confirmed, doctors do not recommend elderly patients to lose weight, based on the results of earlier studies linking weight loss with an increased risk of death.
Article by M. Kyla Shea et al. "The Effect of Randomization to Weight Loss on Total Mortality in Older Overweight and Obese Adults: The ADAPT Study" is published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A.
Daria Chervyakova
Portal "Eternal youth" http://www.vechnayamolodost.ru / based on the materials of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Belief that intentional weight loss is harmful to seniors is unfounded09.04.2010