Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly

The purpose of this review was to describe the health consequences of obesity in older adults. Although obesity is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia in the elderly, the association appears to be weaker in older compared to younger adults. Obesity in older adults is also associated with significantly higher risk of osteoarthritis, postmenopausal breast cancer, and impairments in physical function. However, the influence of obesity on mortality risk, osteoporosis, fracture risk, and cognitive function in older adults is not well understood. Intentional weight loss in obese older adults may be beneficial for metabolic health and physical function, but more long-term studies are needed. When examining the influence of obesity on different health parameters, future studies should consider using alternative measures of obesity beyond body mass index (BMI), such as waist circumference, and also investigate how body weight changes across the lifespan may influence health. The association between obesity and different health parameters in older adults appears to be more complex than in younger adults, and thus requires further investigation.