Midlife Weight Gain Harms Elder Health

Being fat in middle age can reduce women’s chances of being healthy at age 70, a study has found. The study included 17,000 female nurses. Researchers kept track of their weight and health from 1976 to 2000. A normal body mass index (BMI) is 19 to 24.9. A BMI of 25 or more is considered overweight. Researchers tracked women’s BMI increase after age 18. For every 1-point increase, they had a 12% lower chance of being healthy at age 70. Good health included being free of major disease. It also included being able to perform daily tasks such as vacuuming and climbing stairs. Risk was highest for women who were overweight at age 18 and later gained more than 20 pounds. Their chance of good health at age 70 was 80% lower than for normal-weight women. The study appeared in the journal BMJ. The Associated Press wrote about it September 30.