I'm curious what people here think about the second item. Though it's not an argument that weight gain is anti-aging generally, why might it be protective in aging at least from the 70s.Major findings
Researchers from The 90+ Study have published many scientific papers in premier journals. Some of the major findings are:
- People who drank moderate amounts of alcohol or coffee lived longer than those who abstained.
- People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than normal or underweight people did. [Association of body mass index and weight change with all-cause mortality in the elderly] (I haven't actually read this in any depth.)
- Over 40% of people aged 90 and older suffer from dementia while almost 80% are disabled. Both are more common in women than men.
People aged 90 and older with an APOE2 gene are less likely to have clinical Alzheimer’s dementia, but are much more likely to have Alzheimer’s neuropathology in their brains.
- About half of people with dementia over age 90 do not have sufficient neuropathology in their brain to explain their cognitive loss.
Interestingly, the omentum, which covers the abdominal organs, is both a visceral fat depot and an important immune system organ:
Get to know the omentum: The apron of fat that protects your abdomen
It seems that most of the writing I find about the omentum relates to its immune role in the abdominal cavity and its use by transposition in surgeries, but it is complex enough that I'm going to guess that its immune and growth traits can affect other areas of the body without moving pieces of it around, even if that hasn't been discovered or elucidated yet.… the omentum is also an important immune organ that serves as a first line of defense against toxins and infection …
Humans develop milky spots in their omentum during early development, before bacteria even appears, indicating its role as a primary immune organ.
Omentum a powerful biological source in regenerative surgery is quite detailed for anyone interested in this unusual organ.
I remember vaguely that in the very early days when this forum was set up, a contributer who I think was from Europe, referenced a European researcher who had said, in effect, "Whatever you do, don't get skinny." I tried to find that post long ago and couldn't, but I can't shake the feeling that being too skinny is potentially as problematic as being obese.