Packing Extra Pounds May Keep You Healthier After 80 (2024)
What's more, “if you're really thin, then you lose weight in your 80s, you are at risk of becoming frail,” says David Reuben, a specialist in geriatric internal medicine at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, Calif. (Frailty is a clinical syndrome in which three or more of the following criteria are present: unintentional weight loss of 10 pounds in a year; self-reported exhaustion; weakness; slow walking speed; and low physical activity). If you're over 80 and have a BMI below 20, Reuben says, you're in the frailty zone.
But there may, in some cases, be a little nuance involved in defining what's too thin. Erin Michos, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, followed 6,000 patients over 13 years and found that it's important to look at the entire lifetime trajectory of weight in order to assess incremental risk. For example, significant unintentional weight loss at later ages needs to be evaluated regardless of a person's starting weight.
Body composition is also important. Nicklas explains that the normal lifetime weight gain and loss trajectory is somewhat bell-shaped, but that this same gradual curve doesn't apply to the loss and gain of muscle and fat. We naturally lose muscle continuously as we age. And gain fat. So our body composition as we age becomes worse, “and that isn't likely to shift back.”
In fact, as we start to lose weight in our 80s, muscle loss may even accelerate. That condition is called sarcopenia — the loss of muscle mass and muscle quality, coupled with a decrease in bone density. And it puts people over 80 at increased risk of functional limitations, fractures from falls and disabilities. Women are at a higher risk of such disability than men, probably because they have a lower percentage of muscle mass and higher percentage of body fat to begin with.
That's why most scientists advise against putting people over 80 with normal or slightly obese BMIs on calorie-restricted diets. They may suffer loss of muscle mass and bone density that they may not be able to restore. “This is a big driver of age-associated disability,” says Douglas Seals, a professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology at the University of Colorado.
Many scientists are studying how the older old age body synthesizes protein, and the best way for those over 80 to maximize protein intake to minimize muscle loss. But, Seals says, there are no ready answers yet.
The best prescription we now have to preserve muscle mass in older adults, Seals adds, is to eat at least three meals a day that provide 30 grams of protein each, and to do two or three weekly sessions ofresistance trainingthat taxes all the large muscle groups. “That might be a circuit-based resistance training program where the person does 10 to 12 repetitions per set, over two or three sets.” Beyond that, experts advisewalkingto maintain mobility.
is better in older age.” Those extra pounds buffer against unintended weight loss due to digestive system conditions (or things like dental issues) that prevent people from eating enough.
Being slightly overweight has surprising health benefits for this group of people: report. Adults 65 and older shouldn't worry about carrying around a few extra pounds, according to British medical experts.
Some studies suggest that carrying a little extra weight later in life can be protective. Millions of people enter later life carrying an extra 10 to 15 pounds, weight they've gained after having children, developing joint problems, becoming less active or making meals the center of their social lives.
Mary Hickson, co-author of a review of studies published in November 2023, explains that people between 70 and 80 years old have a lower risk of dying if they are slightly overweight, compared to younger age groups.
With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density, weakening them and making them more susceptible to fracture. You might even become a bit shorter. Muscles generally lose strength, endurance and flexibility — factors that can affect your coordination, stability and balance.
With some simple lifestyle changes, you can promote your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, social engagement, stress management, and adequate sleep are just a few of the many ways to ensure a healthy and active life in your 80s.
A sedentary male over the age of 70 requires around 2,000 calories. Consume about 2,600 calories a day if you are active. A female older than 70 years should eat between 1,600 to 2,000 calories daily if you are a sedentary to active.
Burn more calories than you eat or drink. Eat more veggies, fruits, whole grains, fish, beans, and low-fat or fat-free dairy; and keep meat and poultry lean. Limit empty calories, like sugars and foods with little or no nutritional value. Avoid fad diets because the results don't last.
Ice cream is often high in calcium (to strengthen bones) and other essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus and riboflavin. When paired with berries and dark chocolate seniors can also reap additional health benefits.
The ideal body mass index (BMI) for people over 64, experts agree, is between 24 to 29. “But the mortality curve certainly shows the advantage to being at the top of that range,” Nicklas says, or even slightly over a BMI of 30 — defined as obese — once you hit age 80.
Being or becoming too thin as an older adult can weaken your immune system, increase the risk of bone fracture, and in some cases may be a symptom of disease. Both obesity and underweight conditions can lead to loss of muscle mass, which may cause a person to feel weak and easily worn out.
And that's great because it means I can trot up the stairs at speed. We need a certain amount of muscle to maintain strength, energy and balance. As we age, we naturally start to lose muscle and bone mass, so it is important to build this up through exercise.
In addition to changes in fat and muscle mass, fat location and muscle quality change with age. Waist circumference and intraabdominal visceral fat increase with age at a greater rate than total weight, reflecting changes in the distribution of fat (9,10).
2 lb weights are great for beginners AND as you become stronger they are beneficial when held during a cardio class for extra sculpting/toning of the arms & shoulders. Once an older adult has built some strength and feels comfortable with 1-pound weights, they can progress to 2-pound weights.
Introduction: My name is Corie Satterfield, I am a fancy, perfect, spotless, quaint, fantastic, funny, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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