A recent report that was released by the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) has said that astonishingly nearly 80% of Irish people over the age of 50 are classed as overweight or obese. The research which was lead by a team at Trinity College also said that 43% of people over 50 are overweight, while a further 36% are obese.

The research showed that based on waist measurements, 52% of those over 50 are what is called ‘centrally obese’. This means that these people have a ‘substantially increased’ waist circumference, while 25% have an ‘increased’ waist circumference.

Dr Siobhan Leahy of TILDA said that this is the first study to look specifically at obesity in Irish people aged over 50. Speaking about the findings she said “The proportion of over 50s in Ireland who are overweight or obese is significantly higher than that of the general adult population in Ireland. While this age group is already more likely to be affected by age-related illness, frailty and cardiovascular disease, these conditions are exacerbated by the presence of obesity and significantly higher levels of disease and disability are evident in obese individuals. ”