Aging increases belly fat while decreasing BMI

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Thursday, July 29, 2010 7:52 am 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.

REFERENCE

Teh B-H, Pan W-H, Chen C-J. The reallocation of body fat toward the abdomen persists to very old age, while body mass index declines after middle age in Chinese. International Journal of Obesity, July 1996, 20(7):683-7.

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