The Link Between Age and Weight on Your Health

Americans in their 50s are at their heaviest, with 44.3% considered obese, and rates of severe obesity twice as high as those over 60. Hormone changes and age-related muscle loss lead to an increased risk of obesity and health complications such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea. Doctors use BMI as one measure of body fat, but it is an imperfect measure as it cannot tell where in the body fat is located. Visceral fat, located in the abdominal cavity, is more dangerous than other types of body fat and increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.