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Obesity 

Obesity
Chapter:
Obesity
Author(s):

Mauro Zamboni

, Francesco Fantin

, and Gloria Mazzali

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0064
Page of

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date: 24 February 2021

The prevalence of obesity is growing progressively even among older age groups. Weight gain or fat redistribution in older age may still confer adverse health risks. In older ages central fat and relative loss of fat-free mass become relatively more important than body mass index (BMI) in determining the health risk associated with obesity. The risks of obesity in older people have been underestimated due to several confounders such as survival effect, competing mortalities, shortened life expectancy in older persons, smoking, weight change, and unintentional weight loss. Identification of elderly subjects with sarcopenic obesity is clinically relevant and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Although scarce, studies on the effect of voluntary weight loss in older people suggest that even small amounts of weight loss may be beneficial.

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