Loss of Leg Strength Greater in Overweight Older Women, Study Finds

A recent University of New Hampshire study found that the leg strength and power of overweight older women is less than that of older normal-weight women.  This contradicts the common idea that it’s the thin people we need to worry about regarding loss of muscle mass and mobility.

The researchers found little difference in actual muscle mass between the normal-weight and overweight women.  However, when the strength-to-weight ratio or power-to weight ratios were measured, the overweight women performed much worse.

The overweight group had 24% lower strength, 38% lower power and walked about 20% slower than their normal-weight peers.  According to lead author Dain LaRoche, assistant professor of kinesiology at UNH, “Everything pointed to the fact that it was the extra fat that these people were carrying that was really limiting their mobility.”

“Everyone, not only seniors, needs to focus on improving their body composition.  By reducing the amount of fat and increasing the amount of muscle you have, you improve all of the ratios and mobility tests conducted in this study,” say boomer generation health experts Dian Griesel, Ph.D., and Tom Griesel, authors of the new book TurboCharged: Accelerate Your Fat Burning Metabolism, Get Lean Fast and Leave Diet and Exercise Rules in the Dust (April 2011, BSH) and the newly released, A TurboCharged Mind: Eliminate Bad Habits with Hypnosis (January 2012).  “Lack of mobility is a key limiting factor as we age and is directly related to body composition.”

“People need to make it a priority to improve their strength and eliminate as much excess fat as possible and they should start as early as possible,” adds Tom.  “That said, it is never too late to start.  You don’t need to experience lack of mobility as you age—an increasingly common occurrence as a result of the obesity epidemic we are experiencing.  No matter what your current age or condition, you need to take control of your life and your health.”

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