If you are approaching 50 and a man or woman, examine your midsection. If you’re like most people, you may need to stoop slightly to see your feet.
Yes, it is the dreaded midsection bulge — that expanding waistline that often appears with age, similar to a receding hairline or additional wrinkles.
It almost seems like a rite of passage, just a natural part of the life cycle, right? Nonetheless, a new study reveals that allowing your middle to expand will do more than send you shopping for a larger pair of pants; it can also impair your physical abilities as you age.
Participants with a high or moderately high waist circumference at the beginning of the study were 57% more likely to be “frail” than those with a normal waistline, according to a study that followed 4,509 Norwegians aged 45 or older for over two decades.
But frailty is not that image of an elderly person “tottering” while leaning on a cane. Frailty consists of a weak grip, a slower walking speed, general exhaustion, unintentional weight loss, and a lack of physical activity.
People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher at the start of the study were also 2.5 times more likely to be frail than those with a normal BMI (18.5 to 24.9), according to a study published in the journal BMJ Open on January 23, 2023.
According to the authors of the study, there may be a variety of causes. Obesity causes an increase in inflammation in fat cells, which can damage muscle fibers, resulting in diminished muscle strength and function, according to study coauthor Shreeshti Uchai and her colleagues.
Authors concluded that the findings highlight the need to monitor both overall weight gain and any increase in waist circumference, as well as to broaden the definition of frailty.
“In the context of a rapidly aging population and a rising obesity epidemic, growing evidence recognizes the subgroup of ‘fat and frail’ older individuals, as opposed to viewing frailty only as a wasting disorder,” the authors wrote.
Efface the decline
Physical activity can help combat the frailty that may accompany aging. Adults should perform muscle-strengthening exercises involving all major muscle groups on at least two or more days per week, in addition to exercising at a moderate intensity for at least two hours and thirty minutes per week, according to the physical activity recommendations of the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Nieca Goldberg, the medical director of Atria New York City and clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, told CNN previously that reducing body fat and building lean muscle can help improve balance and posture.
To maintain your strength and health, you should perform both aerobic and strength exercises.
According to Dr. William Roberts, a professor in the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Minnesota Medical School, they “appear to work together and assist each other in achieving better outcomes.”
“A balanced program of strength and aerobic activity is most likely optimal and more closely resembles our ancestors’ activities, which helped determine our current gene sets.”
CNN fitness contributor Dana Santas, a mind-body coach in professional sports, recommends mastering body-weight movements before progressing to free weights when beginning strength training.
