Why experts are now recommending you SHOULD be ‘slightly overweight’ in your 60s

When it comes to defining a healthy weight, most of us would refer to body mass index or BMI.

This figure is a measure of the weight-to-height ratio, which is used internationally by doctors to indicate a person’s risk of suffering from a number of diseases.

And we’ve long been taught that a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is the healthiest, giving us the best possible chance of preventing diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.

But now, a growing body of research suggests that this conclusion is not strictly true.

Several nutrition scientists have begun to advocate for the need for a new definition of healthy weight, which depends on our stage of life.

In November, official advice from the UK’s British Dietetic Association recommended that people over 65 remain “slightly overweight”.

“If you are slightly overweight, losing weight may not improve your health,” the document reads.

A few extra pounds can protect bones from fractures and breaks that are common in old age and help resist diseases that could cause you to lose weight quickly.

And it is not only in old age when we think that a few extra kilos are healthy. Some experts have argued that, especially for women, having more fat is beneficial in young adulthood, and even in middle age.

Here we reveal the healthiest size for your stage of life.

First, it is essential to understand the importance of body fat measurements, which differ from BMI.

As we age, our body composition changes (meaning we have different proportions of muscle and fat) and we store fat tissue in different parts of the body.

And experts say body fat measurements are more likely to provide accurate lifetime disease risk compared to BMI.

Most doctors urge older people to lose extra pounds, but this could lower an older person’s resistance against injury and illness.

Women at all stages of life have a higher body fat percentage than men, not because they are less healthy, but because the female body stores fat differently than a man’s.

On average, fat in normal, healthy women represents approximately 18 to 20 percent of body weight. In men, it represents about 10 to 15 percent.

And as the body ages, muscle mass and bone density decrease, hormones change, metabolism slows, and fat is redistributed differently in the body.

HEALTHY FAT LEVEL FOR TEENAGERS

Teenage girls going through puberty, a time when their hips widen and breasts develop, see their body fat accumulate primarily around their thighs and hips.

Your recommended body fat level falls within the range of 25 to 28 percent.

Meanwhile, men tend to have lower body fat percentages compared to women thanks to differences in hormones, muscle mass, and fat distribution.

Testosterone, the male sex hormone, promotes muscle building, unlike estrogen, which increases fat stores in women.

As for adolescents, the healthy body fat percentage ranges between 12 and 15 percent for children.

Muscle mass begins to develop slowly, but may not keep pace with the overall growth rate, resulting in more fat stores in this age group.

HEALTHY FAT LEVEL IN ADULTHOOD

For a healthy young adult woman between the ages of 20 and 39, body fat should make up 21 to 32 percent of her total weight.

For young men ages 20 to 39, the healthy range is higher: it falls between eight and 19 percent.

At this stage, hormones continue to fluctuate and testosterone reaches peak levels when a man reaches his 20s.

A more significant proportion of weight at this point is likely attributable to greater muscle and bone mass.

HEALTHY FAT LEVEL IN MIDDLE OF LIFE

Middle-aged and menopausal women undergo a specific set of hormonal changes that affect how fat is stored.

As estrogen levels fall, fat tends to shift from the hips toward the abdomen.

This leads to an increase in visceral fat, the kind that accumulates around organs and increases the risk of metabolic and heart disease.

While fat around the hips and thighs can be converted to muscle relatively easily, visceral fat cannot.

This is why it is considered normal and healthy to have a slightly higher body fat percentage for a menopausal or postmenopausal woman.

The healthy body fat percentage for that age group ranges from 23 to 33 percent.

In middle-aged men, the healthy range is between 11 and 21 percent. At this point, fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen, a trademark of the “dad bod.”

HEALTHY FAT LEVEL AFTER 65

Older people tend to have much less muscle mass as a proportion of their body weight compared to younger adults.

They also tend to have a slower metabolism, which promotes fat accumulation. But it turns out that could be a good thing.

Fat is a source of energy, so it helps older people get through bouts of illness when they may not have an appetite.

It also helps protect against injuries from falls, making weight loss guidance potentially harmful.

A 2022 study on the ideal body mass index range for older adults concluded that older adults with a BMI less than 25′ were at increased risk for decreased functional ability and experienced gait and balance problems, risk of falls, decreased muscle strength and malnutrition.’

According to the study, the optimal range of BMI levels for older adults is 31 to 32 and 27 to 28 kg/m2 for women and men, respectively.

Katherine Flegal of Stanford University in California, who has long argued that standard BMI categories are too low for all age groups, says the BDA’s advice is a “good start.”