The key facts

  • In women, the frequency of obesity rises slowly from age 19 to 50, then increases sharply until 65
  • In men, the frequency decreases at ages 18–24, rises at 24–55, and slowly declines at 55–75
  • After age 65 the share declines, especially intensively at 75–79 and older

Age-related dynamics of obesity

The share of women with obesity grows especially fast between the ages of 50 and 65. This was reported to TASS by Dmitry Nikityuk, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and director of the Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Biotechnology. According to him, from age 19 to 50 the frequency of obesity in women increases slowly, then rises rapidly until age 65, after which the indicator declines — especially intensively at ages 75–79 and older.

The picture is different in men

In men, the dynamics are different: between the ages of 18 and 24 the frequency of obesity decreases, from 24 to 55 it increases, and then in the 55–75 range it slowly declines. Thus, the peak of increase in men occurs at an earlier stage of life than in women, and the decline begins earlier and proceeds more gradually.

Context

The same report provides context: Gazeta.Ru previously wrote about a sharp rise in the number of people with obesity in Russia, as well as about the popularity of weight-loss injections originally developed to treat diabetes. According to the outlet, many people take them without a doctor's prescription, and research links these drugs to an increased risk of osteoporosis and other bone problems; ahead of World Osteoporosis Day, the outlet examined this topic together with physicians. It should be noted that the data cited by the academician describe a Russian sample; the publication contains no information on how the dynamics look in other countries, including Uzbekistan.