Obesity in the Elderly

Abstract

Obesity prevalence has been reported to increase among the elderly, which is one of the most important risk groups of the society that has a rapidly growing population in Turkey and in the world. The increase of obesity in the elderly is associated with many health problems such as; metabolic syndrome, disability, osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Body fat mass and distribution change due to aging. Hence, using waist circumference measure separately or with body mass index (BMI), have been reported to be better indicators of the assessment of obesity and its relation to mortality, than evaluating BMI alone in the elderly. Although identification of sarcopenic obesity, which is defined as reduced fat-free mass and increased fat mass in the elderly is relevant, there is no consensus on the best criteria to assess sarcopenic obesity yet. Moderate weight loss has been reported to have positive effects on functional capacity, independence and the management of chronic diseases of the elderly. Among the clinical approaches towards weight loss in this group, life style interventions that involve diet and physical activity should be prioritised due to their low risk of complication.