BMI thresholds for overweight and obese are overly restrictive for older people.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02677.x/pdf
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume 58, Issue 2, pages 234-241, February 2010
DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02677.x

Body Mass Index and Survival in Men and Women Aged 70 to 75
Leon Flicker PhD, Kieran A. McCaul PhD, Graeme J. Hankey MD, Konrad Jamrozik PhD, Wendy J. Brown PhD, Julie E. Byles PhD, Osvaldo P. Almeida PhD

RESULTS: Mortality risk was lowest for overweight participants. The risk of death for overweight participants was 13% less than for normal-weight participants

CONCLUSION: These results lend further credence to claims that the BMI thresholds for overweight and obese are overly restrictive for older people. Overweight older people are not at greater mortality risk than those who are normal weight. Being sedentary was associated with a greater risk of mortality in women than in men.


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