Obesity fueling disability in elderly

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- A University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study found that older adults are much more likely to suffer from disabilities today than 10 years ago.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, revealed that obesity is having an increasingly profound impact on the day-to-day activities and overall health of the elderly.

Comparing health data of 9,928 Americans from 1988 to 1994 and 1999 to 2004, the researchers found that the odds of suffering from functional impairment have increased 43 percent among obese adults over the age of 60. As a result, they are less able to walk a quarter of a mile, climb 10 steps, pick up a 10-pound weight and bend over.

"We believe that two factors are likely contributing to the rise in disability among older, obese people," senior study author Dr. Virginia Chang, of Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, said in a statement.

"First, people are potentially living longer with their obesity due to improved medical care, and second, people are becoming obese at younger ages."