Obesity Defined by Body Mass Index and Metabolic Status in the Elderly

Background: To investigate the association between obesity defined by body mass index (BMI) and metabolic status in the elderly. Methods: The correlates of combined BMI (normal weight, <23.0; overweight, 23.0 to 24.9; obese, >25.0 kg/m(2)) and metabolic status (metabolically healthy, 0 or 1 metabolic abnormality; >2 metabolically abnormal, metabolic abnormalities) were assessed in a cross sectional sample of 1,043 subjects aged 60 years and older. Metabolic abnormalities included abdominal obesity, elevated levels of triglyceride and fasting glucose, elevated blood pressure, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. Results: Only abdominal obesity was significantly associated with overweight and obese phenotypes among the metabolically healthy and abnormal subjects. The correlations of the metabolically healthy and abnormal status with behavioral characteristics among normal-weight and obese subjects were not statistically significant. Conclusion: Of the included metabolic abnormalities, only abdominal obesity was observed to be associated with obesity as defined by the BMI in our elderly subjects. Further studies are needed into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these different phenotypes and their impact on health in the elderly.