Women’s Weight Loss Tied to Lower Odds of Living to 90 Years or Older

Three-year weight loss in older women tied to 33 percent lower odds of reaching age 90 years; association stronger for unintentional versus intentional weight loss

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Weight loss of 5 percent or more in older U.S. women is associated with lower odds of longevity compared with maintaining stable weight, according to a study published Aug. 29 in Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

Aladdin H. Shadyab, Ph.D., from the University of California in San Diego, and colleagues used longitudinal data from the Women’s Health Initiative (54,437 women, aged 61 to 81 years) to examine associations between weight changes and intentionality of weight loss with survival to ages 90, 95, and 100 years. Weight was measured at baseline, three years, and 10 years into the study, with participants reporting intentionality at year 3.

The researchers found that three-year weight loss of 5 percent or more was associated with lower odds of survival to ages 90 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.67), 95 years (OR, 0.65), and 100 years (OR, 0.62), compared with maintaining stable weight. Unintentional weight loss from baseline to year 3 was more strongly associated with lower odds of survival to age 90 years (OR, 0.49) compared with intentional weight loss (OR, 0.83). There was no association between three-year weight gain of 5 percent or more and longevity compared with maintaining stable weight. Similar patterns were seen across women with normal weight, overweight, and obesity.

“Our findings support stable weight as a goal for longevity in older women,” Shadyab said in a statement. “If aging women find themselves losing weight when they are not trying to lose weight, this could be a warning sign of ill health and a predictor of decreased longevity.”

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