February 11, 2023 — “Calorie restriction slows pace of aging in healthy adults.” This headline for a press release from Columbia University sounds pretty impressive. Until you stop and read the paper – which comes to no such conclusion. It appears that the headline writers were referring not to the pace of aging, but to P.A.C.E. – the Pace […]
April 14, 2022 — So much attention goes into obesity for children and young persons that one might wonder if it’s much of a concern for older adults. A new study in BMC Geriatrics offers good insight. Mild and moderate obesity might not have much of an effect on a older person’s lifespan, though severe obesity does. But regardless […]
March 11, 2022 — Though people may pretend otherwise, aging is a great equalizer. Hubris finds humility as age encroaches on presumptions of invincibility. So with varying degrees of success, we chase the goal of healthy aging. But over the last three decades, obesity has become a major stumbling block to healthy aging, for two reasons. First, the prevalence […]
August 13, 2021 — An impressive new study published today in Science has researchers feeling a bit giddy. “Blown away” was the sentiment Rozalyn Anderson expressed to the New York Times about the study. “A pivotal paper,” said Leanne Redman, adding that it will shape textbooks for years to come. Herman Pontzer and a remarkable array of collaborators analyzed […]
December 4, 2017 — The BBC says early baldness is a bigger risk for heart disease than obesity. And don’t forget gray hair. The LA Times says that gray’s the way that beats obesity for giving us a heart attack. All this and more is simply dutiful reporting on a press release from the European Society of Cardiology. Health […]
December 5, 2014 — A new study this week has the news media buzzing that following a Mediterranean diet can help keep people young by protecting their genetic code as they age. How can this be? The study, published in the BMJ, analyzed the association between how closely people in the Nurses Health Study followed a Mediterranean diet and […]
December 12, 2013 — Obesity and aging is a neglected subject of growing importance. In people between the ages of 65 and 74 years, obesity quadrupled in men (10.4% to 41.5%) and grew by 74% in women (23.2% to 40.3%) between 1960 and 2010. The interaction of brain, muscles, obesity, and aging assumes considerable importance as people progress from […]
November 17, 2013 — Now that everyone has hit the exits from Atlanta and returned to their favorite pillows, here are seven closing highlights from Obesity Week 2013. This has been a big, diverse meeting, full of energy. Media coverage has been extraordinary. The team working behind the curtain on all of the logistics made it seem remarkably smooth, […]
February 26, 2013 — Gaining weight with age is more typical than not and many people age 65 or over are not concerned with this additional weight. Previous scientific studies indicated that elevated Body Mass Index (BMI)) at retirement age and older did not affect a person’s lifespan, and some studies found elevated BMI may even extend it. The […]
