A recent study, which assessed healthcare records of more than 16 000 pensioners and followed them for four-and-a-half-years, found that elderly men who lose more than 10% of their body weight are almost three times more likely to die in the next few years than those who do not.
Drastic weight loss was also found to increase a woman’s likelihood of death, but by a lesser extent.
The scientists, led by Monash University in Australia, said that 10% loss in body mass for a woman equates to a more than doubling in risk of death, and among men, loss of 5% and 10% of body weight was linked to a 33% and 289% increase in mortality, respectively.
For women, a 5% and 10% body weight loss was linked to a 26% and 114% increase in risk of death during the study period, respectively.
The participants’ average age was 75, reports The Telegraph.
The data also showed that men who lost a tenth or more of their weight were more than three times more likely to die of cancer and heart disease, for example, than a person of stable weight.
“This study suggests that weight loss was associated with an increase in mortality, particularly among men, highlighting the need to monitor and investigate weight loss in older adults,” the scientists wrote in their paper, published in JAMA Network Open.
Data show that the absolute risks of dying in the study period were 8.4% for men who kept the same weight, and 30.1% for those who lost more than a tenth of their size.
The mortality rates were 5.5% and 12%, respectively, for women.
The study authors said doctors should pay particularly close attention to any weight loss in elderly patients.
“The clinical implication of the findings of this cohort study is that physicians should be aware of the significant association with mortality of even relatively minor weight loss (5%), especially among older men,” they advised.
“The risk extends beyond an increased risk of cancer, extending to cardiovascular disease and a range of other life-limiting conditions.
“Further research will be needed to determine more precisely the association between weight loss and the onset of fatal diseases and whether clinical or laboratory investigations can identify individuals for whom early intervention may be effective.”
Study details
Associations of Change in Body Size With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Healthy Older Adults
Sultana Monira Hussain, Anne Newman, Lawrence Beilin, et al.
Published in JAMA Network Open on 10 April 2023
Key Points
Question Is change in body size associated with increased mortality risk among healthy older adults?
Findings In this cohort study of 16 523 community-dwelling healthy participants, 1256 died over a mean (SD) of 4.4 (1.7) years of follow-up. Among men, loss of 5% to 10% of body weight and loss of more than 10% of body weight were associated with a 33% and 289% increase in mortality, respectively; among women, loss of 5% to 10% of body weight and loss of more than 10% of body weight were associated with a 26% and 114% increase in mortality, respectively.
Meaning This study suggests that weight loss was associated with an increase in mortality, particularly among men, highlighting the need to monitor and investigate weight loss in older adults.
Abstract
Importance
The association between weight change and subsequent cause-specific mortality among older adults is not well described. The significance of changes in waist circumference (WC) has also not been compared with weight change for this purpose.
Objective
To examine the associations of changes in body weight and WC with all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
Design, Setting, and Participants
This cohort study is a post hoc analysis of data from the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) randomised clinical trial, which recruited participants between March 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. The study included community-based older adults (16 703 Australian participants aged ≥70 years and 2411 US participants aged ≥65 years) without evident cardiovascular disease (CVD), dementia, physical disability, or life-limiting chronic illness. Data analysis was performed from April to September 2022.
Exposures
Body weight and WC were measured at baseline and at annual visit 2. Analysis models were adjusted for baseline body mass index because height and weight were measured at baseline, allowing for calculation of body mass index and other variables. Both body weight and WC changes were categorised as change within 5% (stable), decrease by 5% to 10%, decrease by more than 10%, increase by 5% to 10%, and increase by more than 10%.
Main Outcomes and Measures
All-cause, cancer-specific, CVD-specific, and non-cancer non-CVD–specific mortality. Mortality events were adjudicated by an expert review panel. Cox proportional hazards regression and competing risk analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs.
Results
Among 16 523 participants (mean [SD] age, 75.0 [4.3] years; 9193 women [55.6%]), 1256 deaths were observed over a mean (SD) of 4.4 (1.7) years. Compared with men with stable weight, those with a 5% to 10% weight loss had a 33% higher (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.07-1.66) risk of all-cause mortality, and those with more than a 10% decrease in body weight had a 289% higher (HR, 3.89; 95% CI, 2.93-5.18) risk. Compared with women with stable weight, those with a 5% to 10% weight loss had a 26% higher (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.00-1.60) risk of all-cause mortality, and those with more than a 10% decrease in body weight had a 114% higher (HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.58-2.91) risk. Weight loss was associated with a higher cancer-specific mortality (>10% decrease among men: HR, 3.49; 95% CI, 2.26-5.40; 5%-10% decrease among women: HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.46-2.04; >10% decrease among women: HR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.82-4.26), CVD-specific mortality (>10% decrease among men: HR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.63-6.04; >10% decrease among women: HR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.05-3.51), and non-cancer non-CVD–specific mortality (>10% decrease among men: HR, 4.98; 95% CI, 3.14-7.91). A decrease in WC was also associated with mortality.
Conclusions and Relevance
This cohort study of healthy older adults suggests that weight loss was associated with an increase in all-cause and cause-specific mortality, including an increased risk of cancer, CVD, and other life-limiting conditions. Physicians should be aware of the significance of weight loss, especially among older men.
The Telegraph article – Why losing weight in old age may mean an early death (Restricted access)
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