Losing Weight Adds Life to Your Years as Well as Years to Your Life

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:41:22 +0000

From the “Duh, you think?” department of research. A new study, partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and published in the medical journal BMJ late last month, says that women who are overweight in middle age not only have a decreased chance of living to age 70 in good health, but that their chances severely drop by almost 80 percent. The study details the significant effect being overweight in middle age has on a woman’s quality of life in old age. Now, I have to say right here that my overweight chiropractic patients do not experience a high quality of life even in middle age, much less into old age. Every system of the body, including the musculoskeletal system is affected by the burden of carrying around excess body weight.

Researchers defined “healthy survival” past 70 years of age as being free from chronic disease and able to maintain an active daily life, e.g., being able to climb stairs or shop for groceries. They followed more than 17,000 women with an average age of 50 over the course of 24 years. They found that for every 2.2 pounds gained from the age of 18, a woman’s chances of even living past 70 years of age fell 5 percent.

So, let’s face, this study didn’t really reveal anything that most people, men and women alike, don’t already know. A healthy lifestyle is the only way to put life into your years as well as adding years to your life. Longevity is not a gift, in and of itself, if a person is unable to enjoy those added years. That’s why, along with chiropractic treatment, I offer my patients advise on exercise and nutrition.

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Aim For Better Health » chronic disease

Losing Weight Adds Life to Your Years as Well as Years to Your Life