title: Body mass index and disease-specific mortality in an 80-year-old population at the 12-year follow-up.
abstract: Although many investigations examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality, little is known about the possible associations between BMI and disease-specific mortality in very elderly people. Here we evaluated this association in an 80-year-old population. In 1998, 675 residents in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture participated. They were followed up for 12 years after the baseline examination; 37 subjects (5.5%) were lost to follow-up. The subjects were divided into six groups by their BMI values: <19.5 (most-thin), 19.5 to <21.1 (relatively thin), 21.1 to <22.5 (thin/normal), 22.5 to <23.8 (normal/overweight), 23.8 to <26.0 (relatively obese), ≥26.0 (most-obese). The most-thin group had the highest mortality from all-causes, and from respiratory disease. The normal/overweight group had the lowest overall mortality among the six BMI groups. These associations were found in the men, but not in the women. The most-obese group did not have higher mortality from all-causes or cardiovascular disease compared to the normal/overweight group. Respiratory disease-related mortality was lowest in the most-obese group. No association was found between BMI group and mortality from cancer. In conclusion, in an 80-year-old Japanese population, mortality from all-causes or respiratory disease was highest in the most-lean group (BMI <19.5), and mortality from all-causes or cardiovascular disease was lowest in the group with BMI 22.5 to <23.8.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu Dental University, Kitakyushu, Japan. yutaka@kyu-dent.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ansai
authors.forename: Inho
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Soh
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awano
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakamichi
authors.forename: Sumio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akifusa
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Ritsuko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sonoki
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000401:mortality*