Older Women's Weight Loss May Be Dangerous - research by University of Maryland, College Park - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Nov, 2000

Even though most medical opinion endorses the notion that weight loss is a good and healthy thing for just about all Americans, a study at the University of Maryland, College Park, suggests this idea could be wrongheaded, at least when applied to women over 65. It found that losing weight was actually associated with an increased risk of death for older females, and also that skinny women were at greater risk of death than their heavier counterparts.

"Our findings run contrary to the popular belief that losing weight always makes you healthier," argues epidemiologist Matthew Reynolds. "We believe doctors should pay close attention to weight change in older women because it could signal potentially serious health problems." Among women who maintained an average weight for the entire six years of the study, 13% died, while the death rate for the whole group was 16%. Those women who entered the study with the lowest weights had a death rate of 22%, and the heaviest had a death rate of 18%.

The researchers noticed that, among those who lost weight during the study, the death rate went up. "Fairly minor weight cycling--from five to eight pounds in a woman 5'5" tall--is associated with a significantly increased risk of death," indicates Jay S. Magaziner, a Maryland epidemiologist.

"Dieting or trying to return to an `ideal' weight may not be the best recommendation for older women who aren't obese," Reynolds suggests. "It's possible that maintaining body weight may actually keep you more robust and healthy later in life."