Older individuals have impaired balance control, particularly those that are frail and/or have sensory deprivations. Obese individuals show faster body sway during upright stance than normal weight individuals, suggesting that they also have difficulty controlling balance even if they do not have the same sensory issues as the older people. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine if obesity is associated to a decreased balance control in older women. Postural sway of normal weight (n 015, age070.8±5.5 years; BMI022.2±1.9 kg/m 2 ), overweight (n 015, age 071.7 ± 4.3 years; BMI 027.3 ± 1.3 kg/m 2 ), and obese (n015, age071.1±4.3 years; BMI033.1±3.4 kg/m 2 ) women was measured with a force platform for normal quiet stance lasting for 30 s in opened and closed eyes conditions. The obese group oscillated at a faster speed than the normal weight group (vision 0.99 ± 0.29 cm/s vs. 0.70 ± 0.16 cm/s, p<0.01; no vision 1.43± 0.50 cm/s vs. 0.87±0.23 cm/s, p<0.01). The obese group exhibited greater range in both axes without vision compared to the normal weight group (p<0.05). When observing sway density parameters, the obese group also spent less time in stability zones (2 mm radius area in which the center of pressure is relatively stable), and the distance between these stability zones are greater than the normal weight group in both visual conditions (p< 0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). Obesity clearly affects postural control in older women. Our results suggest that obesity has a negative impact on the capacity of older woman to adequately use proprioceptive information for posture control. As postural instability or balance control deficits are identified as a risk factor for falling, our results also suggest that obesity in older women could be considered as another potential contributing factor for falling.

Objective: Overweight individuals sway more than normal weight individuals. Major weight loss improves their balance control despite a related decrease in muscle strength. Presumably, muscular strength is an important factor for balance control. This study investigated the effect that a change in body mass has on relative strength and balance control. Methodology: Force (isometric knee extension) and balance control (center of pressure speed and range) were studied in three groups; normal weight (BMI o25 kg m À2 ), obese (30 kg m À2 oBMIo 40 kg m À2 ) and excess obese (BMI 440 kg m À2 ) Caucasian male individuals. Results: The excess obese individuals who underwent bariatric surgery as a weight loss strategy were studied before, 3 and 12 months after losing on average, 66.9 kg ( ± 95% CI 55.8, 77.9 kg; on average, 45% of their weight). The obese individuals who underwent diet modifications were studied before dieting and when resistance to weight loss occurred after losing on average 11.7 kg ( ± 95% CI 9.3, 14.2 kg; on average, 12% of their weight). The control group was studied twice, 50 weeks apart. In obese and excess obese individuals, losing weight reduced absolute knee muscular strength on average, by 8.2 kg (±95% CI 3.9, 12.5 kg; on average, 10% of their strength) and 23.9 kg ( ± 95% CI 12.1, 35.8 kg; on average, 33% of their strength). However, it also increased balance control measured with speed of the center of foot pressure, on average, by 0.10 cm s -1 ( ± 95% CI 0.05, 0.14 cm s -1 ; or increased of 12%) and 0.28 cm s -1 ( ± 95% CI 0.07, 0.47 cm s -1 ; increased of 27%), respectively. Relative strength increased approximately by 22% for only the excess obese group 12 months post surgery. Conclusion: This suggests, in overweight individuals, weight loss is more efficient at improving balance control than increasing, or even maintaining muscle strength. In these individuals, training programs aimed at improving balance control should primarily target weight loss.

Epidemic excess of weight is considered as a critical and common health problem. It is associated with many physiological and psychological disorders. Other than metabolic problems, obesity also affects the efficient execution of daily living activities such as the simple act of standing, walking or grabbing an object while standing. This article aims at presenting a state of knowledge of recent studies illustrating the detrimental effect of obesity and the beneficial effect of weight loss on postural stability and on the speed and accuracy of upper-limb goal-directed movements performed from a standing posture. Evidence supporting the suggestion that greater strength and training, at least for standing conditions, do not overcome the functional limitations imposed by obesity are presented. It is suggested that obese individuals may suffer from a reduced plantar sole sensitivity. As a conclusion to this work, we confirm the deleterious effect of overweight on motor control as weight loss translates into an improved balance control and upper limb speed-accuracy performance when standing.

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Obesity is associated with self-reported falls, and there appears to be a sex-specific difference in elderly persons.

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