Is Maintaining Your Weight the Key to Longevity?
Older women looking to extend their lifespan to the age of 90 or beyond should focus on maintaining a stable weight.
A recent multi-institutional study found that older women who maintained a stable body weight after 60 were more likely to reach their 90th birthdays. The study involved 54,437 women from the Women’s Health Initiative. The researchers looked at short-term and long-term weight changes in women and compared that to the age they reached. The researchers found that women who experienced unintentional weight loss had 51% lower odds of reaching 90. While weight loss was associated with decreased longevity, a weight gain of 5% or more did not contribute to exceptional longevity, which points toward the importance of maintaining a stable weight.
Weight loss vs. weight gain vs. stable weight: This study aimed to analyze any associations between weight changes (intentional or unintentional) and exceptional longevity in older women.
Excerpted from Medical News Today
