Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: FuzzyUK on 10/11/2009 10:08:50

Title: Why do men get fat round the belly when they get older?
Post by: FuzzyUK on 10/11/2009 10:08:50

I'm 63 and seem to have put on several inches round the waist in the past couple of years, put on 10% extra in weight, and I look bloated. I'm 163 cm in height, 69 Kg in weight and my BMI calculation at 26 puts me into the overweight bracket.

I don't drink, don't smoke, don't take drugs, don't fiddle with strange women, and don't tell lies (boring life, ain't it!). I cycle around a lot for exercise and I don't reckon my diet has changed that much either over recent years. Any suggestions? Someone reckons it's due to hormonal changes.

Title: Why do men get fat round the belly when they get older?
Post by: Nizzle on 12/11/2009 07:18:01

I think it's a drop in metabolism rate.
Since you're adding years to your age, your cells become less efficient in converting food into energy, leaving more food to be stored.

And ps, the BMI scale has been adjusted recently and normal weight is now considered between 22 and 27 instead of the 20 to 25 of before.
Therefore, with 26, you still have a normal weight.

ps2: There are studies performed that found that men (only men!) with slight overweight (not obese!) live longer than men with a normal weight.
This is probably due to the increased amount of stored energy, which can be important for survival in older people when they get attacked by a virus or bacteria.