A Research Agenda: The Changing Relationship Between Body Weight and Health in Aging
Open accessAbstract
IT is increasingly recognized that changes in weight and body composition with age are strongly connected with health status and physical function. Aging is typically associated with reductions in total and lean mass, so that in the last few years of life, older people frequently report having lost weight and strength (1–3). We know only a few important facts about this process. On average, muscle mass declines with age, and even in older persons with stable weight, muscle is replaced by fat over time (4,5). Increasing fatty infiltration of muscle tissue is associated with decreasing muscle strength (6). The general pattern of weight change over the lifetime is that weight increases through approximately age 60 years and decreases thereafter (7). Weight gain from early adulthood through midlife is related to increases in both fat and muscle mass, but weight loss at older ages is associated with higher risk for a disproportionate decline in muscle mass (1,8).
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Loss of muscle and bone accelerates and progresses past age 60.
“since loss of muscle and bone accelerates and progresses past age 60.”
From New drugs for the treatment of obesity: do we need approaches to preserve muscle mass? (2025) · cites this paper as [28]
The opening section says muscle mass generally declines with age and that weight tends to decline after about 60, with older-age weight loss posing a greater risk of disproportionate muscle loss. It does not establish that muscle and bone loss both accelerate after 60; it says the age of accelerated body-composition change varies substantially among individuals. The discussion of bone loss concerns minimizing it during weight-loss treatment, not its age-related rate. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe plateau and decline in weight seen in those age 60 or more represents a decline in muscle mass with age.
“The plateau and decline that is seen in those age 60 or more represents a decline in muscle mass with age [27, 28].”
From New drugs for the treatment of obesity: do we need approaches to preserve muscle mass? (2025) · cites this paper as [28]
The paper’s opening section says weight generally increases until about age 60 and decreases thereafter, while muscle mass declines with age. It says weight loss at older ages is associated with a higher risk of disproportionate muscle loss; it does not say that the weight decline necessarily represents muscle loss. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredEven in older persons with stable weight, muscle is replaced by fat over time.
“Even in older persons with stable weight, muscle is replaced by fat over time [27, 28].”
From New drugs for the treatment of obesity: do we need approaches to preserve muscle mass? (2025) · cites this paper as [28]
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Weight loss, exercise, or both and physical function in obese older adults
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New drugs for the treatment of obesity: do we need approaches to preserve muscle mass?
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- Authors
- Alley, D. E., Ferrucci, L., Barbagallo, M., Studenski, S. A., & Harris, T. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- National Institute on Aging (US)
- University of Palermo (IT)
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs (US)
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Alley, D. E.
- Venue
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2008-11-01
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1257-1259
- ISSN
- 1079-5006 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-535X
- PMC
- PMC4984841
- OpenAlex
- W2146617371
- Cited by
- 55
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging (Z01AG000015)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Frailty in Older Adults
- Keywords
- body weight, aging, body composition, muscle mass, lean body mass, fat mass, weight loss, weight gain, muscle strength, physical function, health status, sarcopenia, adiposity
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Body Weight, Health Status, Humans, Middle Aged, Research
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