Obesity accelerates aging in women by 8.8 years according to a study from researchers from the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, England. This compares to 7.4 years of accelerated aging for a woman who has smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 40 years. Read the entire article | Email this article

Being obese is the equivalent of being 11-years older for men, and 16-years older for women as far as functional health according to study from Cambridge, England. Read the entire article | Email this article

Both weight loss and weight gain are associated with a reduction in the quality of life of older individuals according to recent study from a University in Madrid, Spain. Read the entire article | Email this article

A study of 5952 Chinese men and women found people are most obese during the ages of 50 to 59.

After the age of 60, body mass index (BMI) as well as fat on the upper arms and upper trunk decreases while belly fat increases.

The increased risk of heart disease in the older population may be due to this increase in belly fat.

This 'up and then down' phenomenon occurred later in women than in men. Read the entire article | Email this article

At a body mass index (BMI) of 25, the cutoff for normal weight, men have an average of 24 percent body fat or about 42 pounds of fat, whereas women have an average of 36 percent fat or about 55 pounds of fat according to a study from Sweden. Read the entire article | Email this article