Older Obese Patients Can Lose Weight Just as Readily as Younger Obese Patients
It is the common wisdom that fat tissue becomes harder to lose with age, that metabolism tilts in the direction of wanting to retain that fat. The results of this study are a counterpoint, suggesting that, given the same adherence to the usual weight loss protocol of eating fewer calories, older people can in fact lose weight just as readily as younger people. Visceral fat tissue is harmful to long-term health in numerous ways, but particularly through the generation of chronic inflammation that accelerates the onset and progression of all of the common fatal age-related conditions. The only thing worse than gaining excess fat tissue is holding on to it over time, and letting the damage and dysfunction to your tissues accumulate as a result.
Obese patients over the age of 60 can lose an equivalent amount of weight as younger people using only lifestyle changes, according to a new study that demonstrates that age is no barrier to losing weight. The researchers hope that their findings will help to correct prevailing societal misconceptions about the effectiveness of weight loss programmes in older people, as well dispel myths about the potential benefits of older people trying to reduce their weight.
For this retrospective study, researchers randomly selected 242 patients who attended an obesity service between 2005 and 2016, and compared two groups (those aged under 60 years and those aged between 60 and 78 years) for the weight loss that they achieved during their time within the service. All patients had their body weight measured both before and after lifestyle interventions administered and coordinated within the obesity service, and the percentage reduction in body weight calculated across both groups.
When compared, the two groups were equivalent statistically, with those aged 60 years and over on average reducing their body weight by 7.3% compared with a body weight reduction of 6.9% in those aged under 60 years. Both groups spent a similar amount of time within the obesity service, on average 33.6 months for those 60 years and over, and 41.5 months for those younger than 60 years. The hospital-based program used only lifestyle-based changes tailored to each individual patient, focusing on dietary changes, psychological support, and encouragement of physical activity. Most of the patients referred to the obesity service were morbidly obese with a BMI typically over 40.
Link: https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/age_is_no