OBESITY later in life acts as a "ticking time bomb" for

health and social services, a study has found.

Researchers at the Westcountry's Peninsula Medical School

(PMS) have discovered that obesity late in life also leads to

an increased risk of disability – but not of dying.

The research is published in this month's edition of the

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Dr Iain Lang, who led the research at the medical school,

said: "We have known for some time that young and middle-aged

adults who are overweight run a higher risk of death and it was

presumed that this held true for older people.

"In fact, our results show that the risk of dying is higher

only for the most severely obese, but that all older people who

are overweight are at significantly increased risk of

developing problems with mobility and carrying out everyday

tasks."

The PMS research team worked with data on nearly 4,000

patients, aged 65 and older and living in the community in the

English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA).

Each patient's weight and height were measured and their

body mass index (BMI) calculated and they were then followed up

for five years. The researchers compared people of recommended

weight, overweight, obese and severely obese categories,

according to their BMI. The results showed that the higher an

older person's BMI, the more likely he or she was to develop

mobility problems, or to develop difficulty carrying out

everyday tasks.

The results also showed that, in older people, the link

between higher BMI and the risk of death is weak – only

severely obese older men seemed to run this increased risk.

Dr Lang added: "This research is important because a growing

proportion of the population is aged 65 or over, and more and

more of these older people are overweight. In fact, in most

developed countries middle-aged and elderly adults are more

likely to be obese than people in any other age group.

"These findings have huge significance for the delivery of

health care, both now and in the future. Increasing numbers of

older people and higher levels of overweight and obesity will

lead to a greater burden of disability and ill health and place

an immense strain on health and social services. The issue is

likely to get worse as time goes on and represents a ticking

time bomb for health services around the world."

The research team recommends older people should talk to

their doctor or other health care professional about their

weight, and take their advice regarding slimming down if they

are overweight. The advice may include more exercise, a change

in diet, or both.

Dr Gill Lewendon, consultant in public health medicine at

Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT), said: "This report

highlights the problem of obesity in an increasingly ageing

population. For those who are already very overweight or obese,

the PCT provides a comprehensive weight management service for

people of all ages."

Lindley Owen, consultant in public health at Cornwall and

Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust, said: "Staying a healthy

weight can be a fun and relatively easy thing to do, even as

people get older."

For more advice people can visit www.strollbacktheyears.info

or www.healthpromcornwall.org or call 01209 313419 .