Obesity at Middle Age May Signal Higher Odds of Frailty Later in Life
Midlife belly bulge and excessive weight may increase your chances of becoming frail in old age, according to a new study, published January 23 in BMJ Open.Scientists in Norway looked at data from about 4,500 people age 45 or older at the study's start for an average of 21 years, and discovered that individuals who had a high waist circumference measurement at the beginning were twice as likely to be frail or pre-frail (meaning at high risk of becoming frail) than people who started out with a normal waist size.What Is Frailty and Pre-Frailty?For this study, researchers defined frailty according to a commonly used assessment scale that establishes a “frail” person as having at least three of the following five criteria:ExhaustionWeak grip strengthSlow walking speedLow physical activity levelsUnintentional weight lossA…