Old Age Offers No Protection From Obesity Risks

Obesity kills, giving rise to a host of fatal diseases. This much is well known. But when it comes to seniors, a slew of prominent research has reported an "obesity paradox" that says, at age 65 and older, having an elevated BMI won't shorten your lifespan, and may even extend it. A new study takes another look at the numbers, finding the earlier research flawed. The paradox was a mirage: As obese Americans grow older, in fact, their heightened risk of death climbs. Ryan Masters, PhD , and Bruce Link, PhD , at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, in collaboration with Daniel Powers, PhD, at the University of Texas published the results online in the American Journal of Epidemiology . The researchers argue that past studies of longevity and obesity were biased due to limitations of the National Health Survey, or NHIS, which provides information on obesity.
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