Background: Some studies have linked late-life overweight to a reduced mortality risk compared to normal body mass index (BMI). However, the impact of late-life overweight and its combination with mid-life BMI status on healthy survival remains unclear. We aimed to investigate whether and to what extent mid- and/or late-life overweight are associated with chronic disease-free survival.
Methods: Within the Swedish Twin Registry, 11 597 chronic disease-free twins aged 60-79 years at baseline were followed up for 18 years. BMI (kg/m2) was recorded at baseline and 25-35 years before baseline (ie, midlife) and divided as underweight (<20), normal (≥20-25), overweight (≥25-30), and obese (≥30). Incident chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer) and deaths were ascertained via registries. Chronic disease-free survival was defined as years lived until the occurrence of any chronic diseases or death. Data were analyzed using multistate survival analysis.
Results: Of all participants, 5 640 (48.6%) were overweight/obese at baseline. During the follow-up, 8 772 (75.6%) participants developed at least 1 chronic disease or died. Compared to normal BMI, late-life overweight and obesity were associated with 1.1 (95% CI, 0.3, 2.0) and 2.6 (1.6, 3.5) years shorter chronic disease-free survival. Compared to normal BMI through mid- to late life, consistent overweight/obesity and overweight/obesity only in mid-life led to 2.2 (1.0, 3.4) and 2.6 (0.7, 4.4) years shorter disease-free survival, respectively.
Conclusions: Late-life overweight and obesity may shorten disease-free survival. Further research is needed to determine whether preventing overweight/obesity from mid- to late life might favor longer and healthier survival.
Keywords: Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Diabetes; Obesity; Overweight.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.