Body mass index and survival in men and women aged 70 to 75.
OBJECTIVE
To examine in an older population all-cause and cause-specific mortality associated with underweight (body mass index (BMI)<18.5), normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), and obesity (BMI> or =30.0).


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
The Health in Men Study and the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health.


METHODS
Adults aged 70 to 75, 4,677 men and 4,563 women recruited in 1996 and followed for up to 10 years.


METHODS
Relative risk of all-cause mortality and cause-specific (cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease) mortality.


RESULTS
Mortality risk was lowest for overweight participants. The risk of death for overweight participants was 13% less than for normal-weight participants (hazard ratio (HR)=0.87, 95% CI=0.78-0.94). The risk of death was similar for obese and normal-weight participants (HR=0.98, 95% CI=0.85-1.11). Being sedentary doubled the mortality risk for women across all levels of BMI (HR=2.08, 95% CI=1.79-2.41) but resulted in only a 28% greater risk for men (HR=1.28 (95% CI=1.14-1.44).


CONCLUSIONS
These results lend further credence to claims that the BMI thresholds for overweight and obese are overly restrictive for older people. Overweight older people are not at greater mortality risk than those who are normal weight. Being sedentary was associated with a greater risk of mortality in women than in men.
Flicker
Leon
L
Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing, Centre for Medical Research, Western Australian Institute for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia 6009. leon.flicker@uwa.edu.au
McCaul
Kieran A
KA
Hankey
Graeme J
GJ
Jamrozik
Konrad
K
Brown
Wendy J
WJ
Byles
Julie E
JE
Almeida
Osvaldo P
OP
D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015996:Survival Rate