Are thinner seniors happier than those who pack on the pounds? Not necessarily, a new study finds.
The research, led by Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, suggests growing older and being overweight are not necessarily associated with a decrease in mental well-being.
The study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, analyzed lifestyle and health patterns in more than 10,000 people in the U.S. and the U.K. and their links to health status and quality of life.
Overall, researchers found that people reported better mental quality of life as they age, despite a decrease in physical quality of life. They also determined being overweight or obese did not have a significant impact on mental well-being.
For women in the U.S., low levels of physical exercise did not appear to impact on their mental well-being. But for men, limited physical exercise had a significant adverse impact on their mental quality of life.
"It's obvious that people's physical quality of life deteriorates as they age,” said lead researcher Dr. Saverio Stranges, “but what is interesting is that their mental well-being doesn't also deteriorate – in fact it increases."