A midlife ‘muffin top’ makes old-age frailty twice as likely

CARRYING a few extra pounds in midlife, in the form of a spare tyre or muffin top, more than doubles your risk of frailty in older age, a study has found.

It is thought that carrying extra weight speeds up age-related decline in muscles and physical ability and makes people’s bodies age faster than they should biologically.

Data from more than 4,500 participants enrolled in a long-running Norwegian study were used to look at how BMI and waist size are linked to longterm health outcomes.

The study, published in BMJ Open, showed that someone with an obese BMI (above 30) in 1994 was 2.4 times more likely to have signs of frailty 20 years later than someone of a more normal weight.

Figures also show that people with a large waistline (40in or above for men and exceeding 34in for women) were 2.1 times more likely to be frail than those with a normal waist (no more than 37in for men and 31.5in for women).

“Both general and abdominal obesity, especially over time during adulthood, is associated with an increased risk of pre-frailty/frailty in later years.

“Thus maintaining normal BMI and waist circumference throughout adult life is important,” the study claims. “In the context where the population is rapidly ageing and the obesity epidemic rising,” it said, “growing evidence recognises the subgroup of ‘fat and frail’ older individuals in contrast to viewing frailty only as a wasting disorder.

“Our study highlights the importance of routinely assessing and maintaining optimal BMI and waist circumference throughout adulthood to lower the risk of frailty in older age.”

Higher odds of pre-frailty or frailty were also observed among those who put on weight over the course of the study as well as in those who were the same size throughout.

The study found a link between weight and frailty as well as frailty and waist size and the scientists say this could be caused by increased inflammatory capacity of fat cells and their infiltration into muscle cells. Both probably boost naturally occurring age-related decline in muscle mass and strength.