Belly Fat May Be More Dangerous For Older Women Than Excess Weight, Study Suggests.

published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests “in older women, it’s not excess weight that’s deadly, but where those extra pounds collect that can shorten life.” Researchers found that, “among women 70 to 79, being overweight or obese didn’t appear to cut years off life – unless the weight was centered around the waist.” Meanwhile, the study also found that “being underweight also appeared to shorten life span.” https://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/misc-death-and-dying-news-172/belly-fat-more-dangerous-in-older-women-than-being-overweight-720027.html "Central adiposity will increase anyone's risk of death, said Sharon Zarabi, director of the bariatric program at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "As health practitioners, we are moving away from body mass index as an indicator to health risk and looking more at body composition, using waist circumference and body fat percentage," Zarabi said. The study findings were published Feb. 23 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. An older woman should be concerned when her body weight is below normal for her height, and less concerned when she is slightly heavier than normal." In general, these findings suggest that being underweight is more detrimental in older women, and being slightly heavier in later life could be beneficial, she said. Body weight can reflect several different aspects of body composition, each reflecting health and disease in its own way, Chen said. "One's weight should be interpreted with caution with respect to age, ethnicity, race and other measures of health, such as waist circumference," she said.