Obesity crisis - Elderly concerns

WITH Irish people living longer, it is very worrying to learn that the obesity crisis now affecting children and middle aged people is also impacting on the elderly. 

According to a major new study, one in three grandparents are obese; 42% were judged to be overweight and over 30% obese.

The worrying thing is that clear links have been established between the weight of elderly people and the incidence of their contracting cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Sceptics will dismiss such findings at their peril because the study is based on tracking the lives of three generations of 632 families since 2001.

What began as a randomly selected sample of 1,124 expectant mothers at a maternity hospital in the West of Ireland, coupled with another in Dublin, has turned out to be a timely warning on the dangers of the growing level of obesity among the elderly.

Whatever the cause, there is an obvious need for ageing people in this country to change their lifestyle and adopt a healthier approach to the reality of getting older.