In total, 56% of the women reached at least 90 years of age at the end of the study.
Those who maintained a stable weight were 1.2 to two times more likely to live to the late ages of 90 to 100.
At the three-year check-in, the women who lost weight, for any reason, were 33% less likely to reach the age of 90 (those odds shifted slightly to 35% and 38% for reaching 95 and 100).
Women who experienced unintentional weight loss during these three years fared worse. They had a 51% lower chance of reaching age 90.
Weight gain was not significantly associated with differences in longevity.
The overall conclusion of this study is that maintaining a steady, stable weight helps to win the longevity game.
But it’s important to note that this study was not racially diverse (almost 90% of the women were white), and the majority of participants had a body mass index (BMI) in the healthy or overweight category to start.
