Baby-boomers, obesity and arthritis

Filed in archive Studies on August 18, 2005

aby-boomers are going to be living with obesity and are at subsequent risk for arthritis:

"We found that the obesity epidemic has affected both the baby-boomers and their predecessors but that the baby-boomers got a much earlier start, and have spent more of their lives in an obese state even though we've known that they have had better access to nutrition and information about exercise for much of their lives," says Suzanne Leveille, PhD, senior author of the study.

Arthritis risk soared along with the obesity rates of the baby-boomers, and arthritis cases attributed to obesity rose from 3 percent to 18 percent between 1971 and 2002. Many factors can be attributed to this rise, including the way physicians diagnose arthritis over time, but researchers say the rise in obesity cannot be ignored.

"Baby-boomers are just approaching the age when arthritis rates begin to rise dramatically. Many baby-boomers have lived with obesity for much of their lives. We can expect to see the health and functional consequences of this epidemic in the coming decades," says Leveille.

("Today's baby boomers are heavier and more likely to have arthritis", Medical News Today, Aug.18)