HEALTH UPDATE: overweight elderly don't have higher death rates

After the age of 80, carrying a few extra pounds may not subtract years from your lifespan, a new study from Japan shows. Among a group of 80-year-olds followed for four years, the researchers found that underweight individuals were more likely to die from cancer, heart disease or pneumonia than normal-weight or overweight people.
"Overweight status was associated with longevity and underweight with short life," Dr Yutaka Takata and colleagues from Kyushu Dental College in Kitakyushu City conclude. While being overweight has been tied to a greater risk of heart disease, studies have also found that being underweight with heart disease may carry an increased risk of morbidity and mortality, Takata and his team note.
To better understand the controversial relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality from heart disease, as well as all-cause mortality, the researchers looked at men and women who were 80-years-old.