Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Aug;62(8):1476-1483.
doi: 10.1111/jgs.12954. Epub 2014 Jul 15.

Weight change, body composition, and risk of mobility disability and mortality in older adults: a population-based cohort study

Rachel A Murphy #  1 , Kushang V Patel #  2 , Stephen B Kritchevsky  3 , Denise K Houston  3 , Anne B Newman  4 , Annemarie Koster  5 , Eleanor M Simonsick  6 , Frances A Tylvasky  7 , Peggy M Cawthon  8 , Tamara B Harris  1
Affiliations

Weight change, body composition, and risk of mobility disability and mortality in older adults: a population-based cohort study

Rachel A Murphy et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine associations between weight change, body composition, risk of mobility disability, and mortality in older adults.

Design: Prospective, longitudinal, population-based cohort.

Setting: The Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study.

Participants: Women (n = 1,044) and men (n = 931) aged 70 to 79.

Measurements: Weight and lean and fat mass from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured annually over 5 years. Weight was defined as stable (n = 664, reference), loss (n = 662), gain (n = 321), or cycling (gain and loss, n = 328) using change of 5% from year to year or from Year 1 to 6. Mobility disability (two consecutive reports of difficulty walking one-quarter mile or climbing 10 steps) and mortality were determined for 8 years after the weight change period. Associations were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression adjusted for covariates.

Results: During follow-up, 313 women and 375 men developed mobility disability, and 322 women and 378 men died. There was no risk of mobility disability or mortality with weight gain. Weight loss (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40-2.53) and weight cycling (HR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.11-2.29) were associated with mobility disability in women, and weight loss was associated with mobility disability in men (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.01-1.69). Weight loss and weight cycling were associated with mortality risk in women (weight loss: HR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.07-2.01; weight cycling: HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.15-2.30) and in men (weight loss: HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.09-1.83; weight cycling: HR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.08-2.08). Adjustment for lean and fat mass and change in lean and fat mass from Year 1 to 6 attenuated the relationships between weight loss and mobility disability in men and between weight loss and mortality in men and women.

Conclusion: Weight cycling and weight loss predict impending mobility disability and mortality in old age, underscoring the prognostic importance of weight history.

Keywords: aging; body composition; muscle loss; obesity; physical function.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Overview of study time points and follow-up
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Newman AB, Yanez D, Harris T, et al. Weight change in old age and its association with mortality. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2001;49:1309–1318. - PubMed
    1. Alley DE, Metter EJ, Griswold ME, et al. Changes in weight at the end of life: characterizing weight loss by time to death in a cohort study of older men. Am J Epidemiol. 2010;172:558–565. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arnold AM, Newman AB, Cushman M, et al. Body weight dynamics and their association with physical function and mortality in older adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010;65:63–70. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wannamethee SG, Shaper AG, Walker M. Weight change, weight fluctuation, and mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:2575–2580. - PubMed
    1. Nguyen ND, Center JR, Eisman JA, et al. Bone loss, weight loss, and weight fluctuation predict mortality risk in elderly men and women. J Bone Miner Res. 2007;22:1147–1154. - PubMed

Publication types