The NY Times reports:

As in the rest of the population, the obesity rate has increased among people 65 and over, from 22 percent in 1994 to 32 percent in 2008, increasing the risks of coronary artery disease, Type 2 diabetes, various cancers, asthma and other respiratory problems, osteoarthritis and eventual disability

I published a paper with Dr. David Grabowski at Harvard some years ago suggesting that overweight or mild obesity may be associated with BETTER survival in elderly.  However, our subsequent work suggested higher mortality for morbidly obese elderly in nursing homes.

I believe that maintaining a healthy weight and maintaining physical activity for the elderly improves quality of life.  Most of us would like to become elderly, but maintain function and vitality.

Let’s commit to get and stay fit!  And help our older loved ones to do so as well.

Emily Berl for The New York Times Residents of East Harlem attend a neighborhood meeting conducted by city officials and the New York Academy of Medicine on July 15, 2010.