Body mass trajectories and multimorbidity in old age: 12-year results from a population-based study

Abstract

Background & aims: Body weight changes reflect and impact several health conditions in older age, but little is known about its relationship with multimorbidity. We aimed to study the association of longterms trajectories of body mass index (BMI) with contemporaneous changes in multimorbidity Àand multimorbidity typeÀ development in a population-based cohort of older adults. Methods: Twelve-year BMI trajectories (2001e2013) were identified in subjects aged 60þ years from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) using growth mixture models (N ¼ 2189). Information on 60 chronic diseases and multimorbidity was ascertained based on clinical examinations, lab tests, medications, and inpatient and outpatient medical records. Linear mixed models were used to study the association between BMI trajectories and the speed of chronic disease accumulation, in general and by groups of cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric diseases. Results: Eighty percent of the study population was included in what we defined a stable BMI trajectory, 18% in a slow-decline trajectory with an accelerated BMI decline from age 78 onwards, and 2% in a fastdecline trajectory that reached underweight values before age 85. A significantly higher yearly rate of chronic disease accumulation was observed in the fast-decline versus stable trajectory (b ¼ 0.221, 95% CI 0.090e0.352) after adjusting the model for age cohort, sex, education and time to death. Subjects in the slow-decline trajectory showed a significantly higher yearly rate of cardiovascular disease accumulation (b ¼ 0.016, 95% CI 0.000e0.031); those in the fast-decline trajectory showed a faster accumulation of both cardiovascular (b ¼ 0.020, 95% CI -0.025, 0.064) and neuropsychiatric diseases (b ¼ 0.102, 95% CI 0.064 e0.139), even if the former association did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Our results provide further evidence of the importance of carefully monitoring older adults with sustained weight loss, which is an early indicator of accelerated health deterioration, reflected in our study by a faster accumulation of chronic Àespecially neuropsychiatricÀ diseases.

Associations that Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Body Mass Index Loss Have with Deficit Accumulation Frailty

“…Weight loss in older individuals can be a marker of impending age-related chronic diseases (38,39). Although we found benefit for BMI loss in slowing increases in FI scores, this may relate to the cohort’s age range (45–76 yr) and the intentionality of weight loss advocated within both intervention groups.…”

Regular fecal microbiota transplantation to Senescence Accelerated Mouse-Prone 8 (SAMP8) mice delayed the aging of locomotor and exploration ability by rejuvenating the gut microbiota

“…In this study, we considered the entire aging period of SAMP8 mice between 7 and 13°months old, demonstrating that the locomotor and exploration ability gradually decreased during this time, partly revealing the decrease in skeletal muscle function and curiosity. Moreover, significant weight loss was found in SAMP8 mice at 13°months of age, implying that weight loss may mark significant deterioration in health; indeed, weight loss is associated with an increased incidence of various chronic diseases ( Calderón-Larrañaga et al, 2021 ). This study found the young FMT intervention had played a role in slowing the decreasing trend of locomotor and exploration ability with aging and better performance than saline and old FMT intervention.…”

“…Gut microbiota transplantation did not significantly affect the change in body weight during aging in SAMP8 mice. Considering that significant changes in body weight may be a major sign of the end of life ( Calderón-Larrañaga et al, 2021 ), which occurs later than changes in behavior performance, this change may be more difficult to delay or reverse with gut microbiome transplantation.…”

Socio-economic differences in body mass index: the contribution of genetic factors

“…We restricted our sample to those born between 1935 and 1980 due to the availability of SEP indicators, and those between 25 and 70 years at the time of the survey because of age-related declines in BMI after age 70 [ 13 ]. After randomly removing one individual from pairs with identity-by-descent proportion ≥0.178 (corresponding to the expected lower bound of second-degree relatives; N = 1844), we had 33,523 participants (53% women) in our study sample.…”