Causes of adult weight gain

Journal of Nutrition, The, December, 2002 by Roberts, Susan B; Williamson, David F

Symposium: Adult Weight Gain: Causes and Implications

Causes of Adult Weight Gain1

Aging is known to be associated with alterations in body weight that have an important impact on health. Through middle age there is an increase in body weight (1) associated with a doubling in body fat in men and women living in developed countries (2,3). These weight and fat gains are associated with increased morbidity and mortality (4). In contrast, in late old age, body fat typically decreases even in healthy individuals (2,3) and unexplained weight loss leading to protein-energy malnutrition becomes increasingly common in diverse groups of human subjects and also animal models (5-8). It is interesting to note that, although the current epidemic of obesity (119) has resulted in a...

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