More elderly putting on pounds

ORLANDO, Fla. – Grandma, put down that Big Mac.

Seniors are super-sizing themselves into serious health problems, as the number of obese older Americans has doubled in the past 20 years, according to a federal report released Thursday.

Although the alarms have been ringing for years about sedentary, overweight children, the obesity epidemic among older adults has been largely overlooked, said Richard Suzman, associate director for the National Institute on Aging.

“Everybody is surprised by it,” Suzman said.

Obesity among Americans ages 65 to 74 increased from 18 percent in 1980 to 36 percent in 2002.

The proportion of overweight Americans ages 65 to 74 has gone from 57 percent to 73 percent.

The comprehensive report from a dozen federal agencies released Thursday shows that, overall, older people are living longer, healthier and wealthier lives than previous generations.

But that could change if Americans don’t start eating less and exercising more, officials warn.

“Some researchers have projected that the increase in obesity, especially in the younger age groups, could bring that positive trend to an end,” Suzman said.

The consequences of obesity among the elderly include increased risk of diabetes; heart and lung disease; breast and colon cancer; arthritis; and disability. In the same decades that obesity doubled, deaths among the elderly from diabetes increased 43 percent, the report said.

Experts estimate that weight-related illnesses for older adults cost the nation an estimated $30 billion to $40 billion a year in medical bills and contribute to escalating out-of-pocket costs among the elderly.

Average out-of-pocket expenditures for prescription medications grew from $312 in 1992 to $562 in 2000.

The demand for cures in a bottle also contributes to weight gain, doctors say.

As people rely more and more on prescription medications, they can become lax about making the diet and exercise changes that could help as well, said Dr. Anthony Douglas, a Florida Hospital internal-medicine specialist.

“All these great medications are out there now for cholesterol and high blood pressure,” Douglas said. “We’ve sort of created the gluttony pills: Why go out and exercise if you can just take a pill?”

The high cost of medications also could be keeping some seniors from making the best nutritional choices, he said. People spending hundreds of dollars a month on drugs may not have enough left over to buy more-healthful, wholesome foods, which can cost more.

“In this country, it’s all about convenience foods. It’s all about food that’s fast and cheap, and when you put on top of that that you’re spending $200 a month on prescriptions, you may not be able to afford anything else,” Douglas said.

The rise of obesity among the elderly may have surprised some, but not those who deal with its consequences. Six years ago, Florida Hospital started diabetes-education classes exclusively for older adults. It now holds 24 classes a year for about 200 older adults.

“In other words, it’s a pretty big problem,” said Talar Glover, who teaches the classes through the Florida Hospital Diabetes Center.

At the Colonial Medical Supplies store, manager David Bruinsma said he has seen an increase in overweight elderly clients in recent years and expects more to come.

His store does a brisk business in Medicare-funded $5,000 motorized wheelchairs and $1,500 electric-lift easy chairs such as the Big Boy with a load capacity of 450 pounds. The store also carries an expanding line of heavy-duty canes, walkers, shower chairs and wheelchairs for heavyweight customers.

“I think it’s only going to get worse in the next 10 years. We see more overweight people in their 50s and 60s than we do over 60,” he said.

But while business is up at Colonial Medical supplies, across the street at the Beardall Senior Center, the fitness room with five exercise bikes and a treadmill is empty.

“It’s sparsely used,” said Annie Sundquist, recreation specialist. “There isn’t a waiting line.”

The federal report found that only 21 percent of the nation’s 65-plus population regularly exercise. A 2004 Community Health Assessment survey of Central Florida’s elderly found only 17 percent routinely exercise. At Beardall, Scrabble, bridge, pinochle and canasta players outnumber the participants in tai chi, line dancing and yoga classes at the senior center.

On Thursday morning, the tai chi exercise class numbered five. One was Norm Singletary, a 77-year-old retired aeronautics engineer, who exercises more in old age than he did before retirement. Singletary takes the tai chi class three days a week, works out on exercise machines at a fitness center twice a week and walks five days a week.

And he watches what he eats.

“We try and avoid the buffets, and if we do go, we don’t pig out. And we avoid sweets,” he said. “About the only time I have a piece of cake is at church on Sunday.”

Among those who show up regularly for the exercise classes, there’s an understanding that fitness, diet and health are all related.

“I dance three days a week, and I’ve never had a weight problem because of it,” said Virginia Chamberlin, 65, who does not take any medications. “We’re living longer, and we have a decision to make whether we want to be active or inactive.”