Is It Okay to Put On a Little Extra Weight as We Get Older?

A doctor explains why weighing too little can be dangerous for your health

Adam Rosenbluth, M.D.,

AARP

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Published October 28, 2024

illustrated gif of a man stepping on a scale

James Yates

I've heard having a little extra weight can be protective as we get older. Is that true?

Most of us are pretty obsessed with how much we weigh. But instead of just looking at numbers on a scale, I suggest you pay attention to your body mass index, or BMI. This measurement calculates your estimated body fat based on both your height and weight. It’s considered a better indication of your overall health and calculates whether someone is underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.

The Centers for Disease Control says that a healthy BMI for all adults over 20 years old is between 18.5 and 24.9. You can check where you stand by going to AARP’s BMI calculator. In general, I don’t think there’s a big difference within the normal range of your BMI if you fall somewhere within the upper limit versus the lower limit for your height.

If your BMI doesn’t show that you’re obese or overweight, a few added pounds could be helpful. As we age, we tend to lose muscle and bone density, which can result in weight loss and a sense of fragility. But you don’t want your added weight to be in your stomach area. We call this visceral fat. If fat is lodged there, it releases substances that cause inflammation throughout your body, which can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and other unhealthy conditions

Instead, aim for increasing your weight by building up muscle mass. Studies show that there are a host of health benefits when our muscles are strengthened especially as we age – everything from recovering faster from infection and injury, to better cognition, balance and overall longevity.

My mom, who is approaching 90, gets a little frustrated with me because I’ve enrolled her in three exercise classes a week. She says, “Adam, they exhaust me!” I try to emphasize to her that it’s the good kind of exhaustion. “You’re building muscles and keeping strong,” I tell her. “And that’s critical for your mental and physical wellbeing.” If you want to try working out at home, AARP has dozens of exercise videos to guide you.

Another thing we need to look at when we think about weight gain, especially as you get older, is whether there’s enough protein in the diet. Your doctor will usually measure your total protein with a general blood test. We tend to see this number drop when a patient loses weight as they age. You can add protein to your diet from liquid shakes, or by eating chicken, fish and lean meat. For vegetarians, I suggest lentils, beans and tofu, just to name a few plant-based sources. The one thing you don’t want to do is put on pounds with empty calories.

There is some evidence that losing too much weight can be dangerous as we age. A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that older men and women who experience weight loss of between 5 and 10 percent have a higher rate of mortality than those who maintain a stable weight. The connection held regardless of someone’s original weight or other potential benefits of weight loss.

I want to emphasize that under no circumstances would I tell anyone to maintain an unhealthy, heavier weight. Being overweight, particularly being obese, is indisputably associated with poor outcomes. I would also never suggest anyone try to be underweight. Being too skinny can contribute to osteoporosis, frailty, a compromised immune system, loss of muscle mass and other unhealthy issues.

More from Dr. Adam

Some of my patients, who may have become weaker or more fatigued with age, think they are too old to exercise, but that's not true. I recommend that all my patients continue to move and keep up their protein to help preserve their muscle strength.

Ultimately, I suggest you weigh the facts, try to stay within the normal range of your BMI and aim to feel strong, vibrant and comfortable in your body.