Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Impact of midlife weight change on mortality and quality of life in old age. Prospective cohort study

International Journal of Obesity volume 27, pages 950–954 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of weight change during midlife on long-term mortality risk and quality of life in old age.

DESIGN: Prospective cohort study with a 26-y follow-up.

SUBJECTS: Socioeconomically homogeneous sample of 1657 men (born 1919–1934) who had attended health checks during the 1960s, were healthy and professionally active in 1974, and could recall their weight at the age of 25 y.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total mortality 1974–2000, scales of the RAND-36 (SF-36) health survey in 91% (n=1147) of the survivors in 2000.

RESULTS: Body weight increased from 25 y of age until midlife, but not thereafter. During the 26-y follow-up, 392 men (23.7% of the initial 1974 cohort) died. Weight at 25 y of age did not predict death, but the adjusted mortality risk was significantly increased in the highest quartile of midlife weight gain (≥15.0 kg) compared with lower quartiles (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.12–1.73). In 2000, multivariate analyses (adjusted for body weight at the age of 25 y and in 2000, age, smoking, alcohol and subjective health and physical fitness in 1974) showed impairment in all eight RAND-36 scales (statistically significantly in seven) with increasing weight gain in midlife.

CONCLUSION: In this homogeneous male cohort, only the largest weight gain from 25 y of age to midlife predicted long-term mortality. Weight gain sensitively affected later health-related quality of life, and zero weight gain up to midlife was associated with the best quality of life in old age.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rissanen A, Heliovaara M, Knekt P, Aromaa A, Reunanen A, Maatela J . Weight and mortality in Finnish men. J Clin Epidemiol 1989; 42: 781–789.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lee IM, Manson JE, Hennekens CH, Paffenbarger Jr RS . Body weight and mortality. A 27-follow-up of middle-aged men. JAMA 1994; 270: 2823–2828.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Eckel RH, Krauss RM . American Heart Association call to action: obesity as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease. Circulation 1998; 97: 2099–2100.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Calle EE, Thun MJ, Petrelli JM, Rodriguez C, Heath Jr CW . Body-mass index and mortality in a prospective cohort of US adults. N Engl J Med 1999; 341: 1097–1105.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wannamethee G, Shaper AG . Weight change in middle-aged British men: implications for health. Eur J Clin Nutr 1990; 44: 133–142.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Andres R, Muller DC, Sorkin JD . Long-term effects of change in body weight on all-cause mortality. A review. Ann Intern Med 1993; 119: 737–743.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Rosengren A, Wedel H, Wilhelmsen L . Body weight and weight gain during adult life in men in relation to coronary heart disease and mortality: a prospective population study. Eur Heart J 1999; 20: 269–277.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Brancati FL, Wang N-Y, Mead LA, Liang K-Y, Klag MJ . Body weight patterns from 20 to 49 years of age and subsequent risk for diabetes mellitus. The Johns Hopkins Precursors Study. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159: 957–963.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Yarnell JWG, Patterson CC, Thomas HF, Sweetnam PM . Comparison of weight in middle age, weight at 18 years, and weight change between, in predicting subsequent 14 year mortality and coronary events: Caerphilly prospective Study. J Epidemiol Commun Health 2000; 54: 344–348.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Willett WC, Dietz WH, Colditz GA . Guidelines for healthy weight. N Engl J Med 1999; 341: 427–434.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Liu S, Manson JE . What is the optimal weight for cardiovascular health? BMJ 2001; 322: 631–632.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Lean ME, Han TS, Seidell JC . Impairment of health and quality of life using new US federal guidelines for the identification of obesity. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159: 837–843.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Doll HA, Petersen SE, Stewart-Brown SL . Obesity and physical and emotional well-being: associations between body mass index, chronic illness, and the physical and mental components of the SF-36 questionnaire. Obes Res 2000; 8: 160–170.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ford ES, Moriarty DG, Zack MM, Mokdad AH, Chapman DP . Self-reported body mass index and health-related quality of life: findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Obes Res 2001; 9: 21–31.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Larsson U, Karlsson J, Sullivan M . Impact of overweight and obesity on health-related quality of life—a Swedish population study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2002; 26: 417–424.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Strandberg TE, Salomaa VV, Vanhanen HT, Naukkarinen VA, Sarna SJ, Miettinen TA . Mortality in participants and non-participants of a multifactorial prevention study of cardiovascular diseases: a 28 year follow up of the Helsinki Businessmen Study. Br Heart J 1995; 74: 449–454.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Aalto A-M, Aro AR, Teperi J . RAND-36 as a measure of health-related quality of life. Reliability, construct validity, and reference values in the Finnish general population. Research Reports 101. Stakes: Helsinki; 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hays RD, Morales LS . The RAND-36 measure of health-related quality of life. Ann Med 2001; 33: 350–357.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Drever F, Whitehead M . Health inequalities: decennial supplement, Series DS No. 15. Stationery Office, Office for National Statistics: London; 1997.

  20. Burack RC, Keller JB, Higgins MW . Cardiovascular risk factors and obesity: are baseline levels of blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and uric acid elevated prior to weight gain? J Chronic Dis 1985; 38(10): 865–872.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Must A, Willett WC, Dietz WH, Must A, Willett WC, Dietz WH . Remote recall of childhood height, weight, and body build by elderly subjects. Am J Epidemiol 1993; 138: 56–64.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Fine JT, Colditz GA, Coakley EH, Moseley G, Manson JE, Willett WC, Kawachi I . A prospective study of weight change and health-related quality of life in women. JAMA 1999; 282: 2136–2142.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Rissanen A, Heliovaara M, Knekt P, Reunanen A, Aromaa A, Maatela M . Risk of disability and mortality due to overweight in a Finnish population. Br Med J 1990; 301: 835–837.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Ferraro KF, Su YP, Gretebeck RJ, Black DR, Badylak SF . Body mass index and disability in adulthood: a 20-year panel study. Am J Public Health 2002; 92: 834–840.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Lahti-Koski M, Vartiainen E, Mannisto S, Pietinen P . Age, education and occupation as determinants of trends in body mass index in Finland from 1982 to 1997. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2000; 24: 1669–1676.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Helsinki University Central Hospital, and the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research are gratefully acknowledged for financial support. TES is a senior research fellow of the Academy of Finland (Grant 48613).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Geriatric Clinic, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    T E Strandberg, A Strandberg, K Pitkälä & T A Miettinen

  2. KTL-National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

    V V Salomaa

Authors
  1. T E Strandberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A Strandberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. V V Salomaa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K Pitkälä
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. T A Miettinen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T E Strandberg.

Additional information

Part of the data were presented in abstract form (no media coverage) at the 42nd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention (American Heart Association), Honolulu, Hawaii, 23–26 April, 2002.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Strandberg, T., Strandberg, A., Salomaa, V. et al. Impact of midlife weight change on mortality and quality of life in old age. Prospective cohort study. Int J Obes 27, 950–954 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802313

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802313

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links