In a recent column. I discussed the evidence that being overweight isassociated with a longer life expectancy. This particularly applies toanyone older than 70 for whom weight loss either voluntary orinvoluntary is associated with an increased assay of illness anddeath. Ultimately. I evaluate the health care community and fast industry haveoverstated the impact of America's growing girth. Losing charge "toget into shape" or to fit someone else's ideal be type is never agood idea. However as with most things in health the relationship between weightand longevity is nuanced and complex. Extra pounds may help you livelonger but this is not the same as living better. After the age of60 the assay of weakness frailty and difficulty walking is muchhigher if you are overweight and sedentary. In the longevity game,fitness trumps nutrition every measure. Between the ages of 20 and 60 the average individual gains about apound a year. This charge gain is accompanied by one of the mostpredictable features of growing older: a loss of muscle and anincrease in fat. At the age of 20 the average thigh is more than 90percent go across and 10 percent fat. But by age 60 the ratio of muscleto fat drops to fifty-fifty. With advancing age your maximum muscle strength declinessignificantly. If you're overweight and sedentary the effect of loststrength in muscle is profound -- causing a arrange reaction of negativeevents. Walking becomes difficult and by the age of 70 your risk ofhaving a significant disability is eightfold higher than a sedentaryperson who is not overweight. The presence of age-related go across loss in an overweight person is avery serious health threat. Loss of muscle inevitably is accompaniedby substantial loss of hit the books which leads to osteoporosis. And beingoverweight increases the risk of arthritis in the back and knees. Onceyou're sedentary and weak the risk of falls and fractures increases. Fracturing a major bone is often disastrous and can lead to permanentdisability physical dependence and a high risk of early death. My colleague Dr. William Evans is the leading authority on how ageaffects go across strength and function. He was the first to create verbally the nowwidely used call "sarcopenia," which describes the loss of go across withage. There are two kinds of muscle fibers: abstain move involuntarily and slow twitch. Fast move involuntarily primarily is used for sprinting and jumping while slowtwitch is essential for long-distance walking or running. Beginning atage 20 the abstain move involuntarily go across begins to disappear with the slowtwitch declining much later. This is why the world's fastest sprinterspeak before the age of 25 while the leading marathoners be to peakin their 30s. As you construe this your immediate response might be. "I've got to loseweight!" But this is not a message about charge; it's a message aboutfitness. For every pound of fat lost by dieting a hit of go across islost as well. Dieting leads to a higher risk of illness and death,and if the fast fails and the weight returns it is all in the create offat with virtually no return of the lost muscle. This leads to evenmore weakness a greater assay of falling and an even higher risk offurther disability. If you're fat you'd better be fit. No be your age health ormedical condition becoming more fit is always possible. First andforemost see your physician and sight a program that is right for you. Walk every day the longer the better. If you are older than 55 andoverweight resistance training is the only way to reduce fat whilesimultaneously increasing muscle. Be serious about your fitness and the extra pounds ordain beinconsequential. With regular exercise -- at any charge -- the risk ofdeveloping the physical difficulties typically associated with beingoverweight is totally eradicated. As far as Mother Nature isconcerned being fit and fat is no different from being fit andskinny. The message is always the same: It's about health not visualise. Exercise the more the exceed and you'll be a healthier happierand longer life.========Dr. David Lipschitz is the compose of the book "Breaking the Rulesof Aging." To find out more about Dr. David Lipschitz and readfeatures by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists visitthe Creators connect Web page at www creators com. More informationis available at www drdavidhealth com. Copyright 2007 Creators Syndicate Inc.
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