Research
Adherence
Intentional weight loss in the elderly yields clinical benefits and quality of life improvements, whereas unintentional weight loss is associated with increased mortality and poor prognosis.
If you are older and losing weight without trying, see a doctor immediately. This is often a sign of illness or muscle loss, not health. If you are choosing to lose weight, do it intentionally through diet and exercise to gain health benefits.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Furthermore, persons who achieve weight loss intentionally, through lifestyle modification or pharmaceutical intervention, generally acquire a range of clinical benefits and quality of life, whereas unintentional weight loss is most commonly through illness and usually involves loss of lean tissue, which carries a poor prognosis, even if there is subsequent regain which may involve fat tissue or oedema.
Why this rating
Supported by longitudinal studies cited (Lean et al., Williamson et al.).
Source
Obesity and weight management in the elderly
Thang S. Han et al. · British Medical Bulletin · 2011
DOI 10.1093/bmb/ldr002
narrative_reviewCited 329×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Waist circumference (WC) is a superior predictor of metabolic risk and mortality in the elderly compared to Body Mass Index (BMI), which is confounded by age-related height loss and muscle loss.Strong
- Modest intentional weight loss (5–10 kg) combined with exercise and calorie restriction is the optimal intervention for reducing fat mass and preserving muscle mass in elderly individuals with sarcopenic obesity.Good
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