Why you need to gain ‘buffer’ weight over 65 and how to do it healthily

Dame Patricia Hewitt reveals she was told to gain 2st (12.7kg) to protect her health. Here’s how some extra weight can prevent frailty in old age.

Trying to lose a few pounds ? If you’re over 65, your health may be better for remaining at your current weight or actually gaining more, a former health secretary has said. Dame Patricia Hewitt, 76, who was health secretary from 2005 to 2007, has advised people to have a “buffer zone” of extra weight to prevent frailty and illness in old age . She shared the advice after being hospitalised with severe dehydration while on holiday in Australia, where doctors told her about the concept of “geriatric BMI” (that a healthy BMI for older people is higher than that of younger people).



Dame Patricia had weighed 7st 11lb (50kg) when hospitalised and counted herself “jolly lucky” in the past that she hadn’t gained weight easily. But doctors told her to gain nearly 2st (12.7kg) to protect her health in the future.

“What is a healthy weight for you as you grow older, particularly if you’re a woman, is almost certainly higher than you think it is,” she told The Times ..