More than one-third of Americans age 65 and over fall each year. Which of the following seniors are most likely to take a tumble?
- Seniors who are frail
- Seniors who have arthritis
- Seniors who have diabetes
- Seniors who are obese
- Seniors who have suffered a stroke
The answer is number 4. Obesity is the single greatest risk factor to seniors for falls. In a study of 10,755 seniors age 65 and over reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, obese older adults were anywhere from 12 percent to 50 percent more likely to suffer a fall over two years than their normal-weight peers. Moreover, when obese seniors were injured, they were less likely to recover than seniors of normal weight.
Here's yet another reason to stay fit and encourage those around us to trim down.
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