Obesity in the elderly

Abstract

Aging produces several changes in body composition. Aging is associated with an increase in body fat and changes in their distribution pattern. The risks associated with an increase in body fat or from low weight are different in the elderly. As a result, the World Health Organization recommends a modification in the Body Mass Index (BMI) in the elderly. The BMI cutoffs currently used to assess the nutritional status of the elderly are: underweight (BMI <22kg/m2), normal weight (BMI between 22 and 27kg/ m2) and overweight (BMI> 27kg/m2). The prevalence of many complications associated with obesity-such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome and osteoarthritis-also increases during the aging process. However, several studies have shown that overweight in elderly patients is not associated with increased mortality. Studies show that overweight reduces all-cause mortality among the elderly. This reduction is a paradox that contradicts evidences for other age groups. It should be noted, however, that sarcopenia associated with lower weight accounts for this increase in mortality. In obese patients a worrying picture is, therefore, the development of sarcopenic obesity. We thus conclude that weight control in the elderly has many peculiarities. Overweight is beneficial for the elderly, hence the adjustment in BMI values. Recognizing and managing comorbid conditions directly related to weight excess, at the same time, avoiding involuntary weight changes should be a priority in the care of the elderly.

Sarcopenia, nutritional status and functionality in elderly women living in the community

“…It is difficult to compare prevalence among Brazilian and non-Brazilian populations due to the lack of well-defined cut-off points. The value of MM was lower than 6.22 kg/m 2 , corroborating the cut-off points found in literature by Santos et al 15 and Hofmann et al 16 , which were <5.45 kg/m² and ≤6.75 kg/m 2 , respectively, in populations similar to the present study.…”

“…The prevalence of sarcopenia in our study was similar to that of the study by Santos et al 15 which obtained results of 16.8% with 149 elderly women, with a mean age 67.17 (±6.12) years. Du et al 18 evaluated the prevalence of sarcopenia in 2,458 volunteers over 65 years of age from different racial/ethnic groups and obtained results similar to the present study in white women, with a prevalence of sarcopenia of 15.1%, while in black women the prevalence was only 1.6%.…”

Excesso de peso influencia negativamente a capacidade funcional de idosos em atividades cotidianas

“…Dada a crescente prevalência de obesidade, no futuro próximo, acredita-se que os indivíduos que apresentarão maior fragilidade serão os obesos, deficientes e adultos idosos. 16 Segundo Santos et al, 17 o sobrepeso e a obesidade associados ao processo de envelhecimento podem interferir na capacidade funcional nos idosos, causando diminuição de habilidades físicas, comprometimento do sistema motor e, portanto, na mobilidade para realização de algumas tarefas.…”

Índice De Massa Corporal E Os Fatores Associados Em Idosos Participantes De Grupo De Convivência

“…Sua etiologia pode estar relacionada à ingestão alimentar excessiva e pouco saudável, sedentarismo, fatores genéticos, metabólicos, socioculturais e psicossociais. Assim sendo, a obesidade não é apenas o ganho de peso, envolve fatores, como ganhos de gordura corporal, localizados ou generalizados, que podem estar associados ao desequilíbrio nutricional, fatores genéticos ou distúrbios metabólicos (SANTOS et al, 2013).…”

“…Nos idosos ocorre uma perda progressiva de massa magra, com aumento da proporção de gordura corpórea, além da diminuição da estatura, relaxamento da musculatura abdominal e alteração da elasticidade da pele (FREITAS et al, 2014). Essas mudanças podem afetar a capacidade funcional fisiológica, tornando o idoso frágil e vulnerável a doenças associadas como, doenças cardiovasculares, hipertensão, diabetes, afetando a qualidade de vida e o aumento da mortalidade (SANTOS et al, 2013).…”