title: The effect of family background on body weight and on the number and morphological changes of lymphocytes in old age.
abstract: The authors examined elderly people (214 males and 304 females) 60 years of age and over, without overt diseases. They studied the relationship between family background and body mass index as well as quantitative changes in circulating lymphocytes as a function of the above parameters. The average age of the examined men was 74 years, 86% of them lived with their families; the average age of the women was 72 years and 51% of them lived with their families. A mathematical analysis of the body weight measurements showed that the drawn sample readily follows a normal distribution. It was also shown with respect to the examined persons that body weight, body height, and body mass index decrease with age and differ with sex. In overweight persons degenerative changes in the mitochondria of the peripheral lymphocytes were more frequent than in persons of normal weight.
authors.affiliation: Gerontology Center, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Regius
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Börzsönyi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gergely
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lengyel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008062:Lipofuscin / Q000378:metabolism; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment
chemical_list: D008062:Lipofuscin