Weight loss may mean a risk of death for older adults

Question

This CNN article reports that a study claims that weight loss can lead to deaths on older adults. Is this true? Does this mean weight loss is not the perfect health benefit it is proposed to be?

Answer 1

Yes, but you have to really read the article. First, the CNN article looks at the age group of adults 65 and older, meaning elderly people. Second, even the author and the doctor quoted in the article reminds us that correlation does not mean causation, so even though there is a relationship between weight loss in old people and mortality, it does not mean that the person's weight loss caused their death. Third, this mainly focuses on unintentional weight loss, not weight loss in general. Monitored weight loss proves to have some benefits in obese adults. In a monitored weight loss study, the NIH found some benefits to a moderate approach to weight loss. The subjects "Had decreased plasma levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and leptin, which are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes". The bottom line is that weight loss should only be recommended and followed by those who are at risk of things like heart disease and other conditions. 

Going back to unintentional weight loss, researchers looked at a population of people 65 and older and studied how weight loss affected them. They found that "Weight loss in elderly people can have a deleterious effect on the ability to function and on quality of life and is associated with an increase in mortality over a 12-month period". As you get older, though, you get weaker no matter what. When you're already weak, and then lose more strength/weight as you age, there are going to be negative affects.

Unintentional weight loss, especially for elderly people, can signify different health conditions and can be bad for their quality of life. However, that doesn't mean all weight loss is bad. It's also important to remember that just because a study shows that two things are correlated, it does not mean one caused the other, so we can't say that weight loss leads to death.

Sources:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/benefits-moderate-weight-loss-people-obesity

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC552892/

Answer 2

This claim is true. This article goes into depth about the risk of death in older adults connected to weight loss. "Over an average follow-up period of 4.4 years, a total of 1,256 people died. Weight loss of at least 5 percent was associated with a 33 percent higher mortality risk for men and a 26 percent higher mortality risk for women." 

https://www.everydayhealth.com/senior-health/weight-loss-tied-to-premature-death-for-older-adults/#:~:text=Over%20an%20average%20follow%2Dup,higher%20mortality%20risk%20for%20women.

Answer 3

Yes, unintended and significant weight loss in older adults may be associated with an increased risk of death. Sudden or substantial weight loss in older individuals can be indicative of underlying health issues, such as chronic diseases, infections, or malnutrition, which can lead to adverse health outcomes and mortality. It is essential for older adults and their caregivers to monitor and address any unexplained weight loss promptly and seek medical attention to identify and manage potential health concerns.
https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/sudden-weight-loss, has some explanation