Being overweight in young life can contribute to mobility issues later in life.

Establishing a healthy lifestyle while young is so important.  It sets up a healthy habit that we’ll continue to live by throughout our life (remember, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior); it ensures that we won’t fall victim to the smorgasbord of diseases and illnesses that are linked with obesity; and it gives us a sense of accomplishment that all of us need to be truly happy.

But it also helps reduce the likelihood that we won’t have a string of mobility issues later in life – at least that’s what a recent study has concluded. 

I think if there’s one thing I dread most about old age, it’s not being able to move around as freely as I can now.  Being in my early 30s, I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for the once spry to now be tied to walkers, wheel chairs, and canes.

Some problems with mobility are unavoidable, as in those who were quite active, but for circumstances beyond their control, they’re now held hostage by the aforementioned mobility assistants.  But for others, mobility issues could have been avoided if they hadn’t been so torpid in their salad days.

According to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 20somethings that struggled with weight gain throughout their 20s and into their middle-aged years greatly increase their chances of walking with walkers and canes by their 70s.

The researchers came to this conclusion after reviewing health information statistics from people averaging 74 years of age.  All of them were healthy and free of any life-threatening illnesses at the start of the seven-year study. 

Through a series of follow-ups, many of the participants’ bodies began to break down.  This is a natural thing, of course, but the researchers found an interesting corollary when they asked about their struggles with weight in their younger years.

What they found was that among women with mobility issues, they were three times more likely to develop them if they were overweight in their 50s, despite being thin in their 70s.  The same was true for men, only they were twice as likely. 

Researchers defined “mobility issues” as not being able to walk a quarter-mile without struggling.

The study is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

These results could very well prove to be a harbinger of what’s to come.  The focus on convenience has never been more prevalent than it is today (e.g. elevators, convenience food, fast food, television watching, video gaming, etc.) and in a population where approximately 65 percent are overweight or obese, we could be headed for a disability rate of seismic proportions.

To paraphrase the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Denise Houston, an intervention of sorts may be required to stifle the forthcoming cavalcade of injuries, disabilities, and handicaps in the next 10, 20 and 30 years.

I’m not sure what it that intervention will be or what it will take, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and form your own personal intervention.  Make healthy living a priority:  not simply for your present health, but for the sake of your future mobility.

Source:
ScienceDaily