Obesity during older age results in grave consequences.
Obesity during older age results in grave consequences. People who are in their 60s and 70s should loss weight through diet and exercise. This increases their physical function and helps them to reduce frailty. Otherwise it might lead to a loss of functional independence in the community, by predisposing to frailty.
Dr. Dennis T. Villareal from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis told Reuters Health that frailty diminishes ones ability to perform important practical and social activities of daily living. According to a study, 27 frail obese older volunteers were randomly assigned to 26 weeks of diet and exercise named as the treatment group and no treatment who are in the control group. The treatment group attended a weekly weight loss meeting and participated in exercise three times a week for six months.They also had a very balanced diet. The treatment group lost 8.4 % of body weight whereas the control group showed no change. The treatment group also saw a drop in fat mass, compared with the control group, without a change in lean fat-free mass. The exercise led to improvements in their muscle strength, walking speed, endurance and balance. In conclusion the researchers feel that diet and exercise must be an integral part of the therapy for treating frail obese older adults.
