How Aging Changes Your Body Shape and Composition

How Aging Changes Your Body Shape and Composition

The changes your body shape and composition more likely to go through as you age may at first appear particularly disconcerting. But knowledge is the power : If you know what changes tp expect, you can act to minimize them.

The body is composed primarily of water, bone, protein and fat. As you age, three of these four are tend to decrease : total body water, bone density and muscle mass. That leaves one that tends to increase- fat. With exercising regularly, and following the some common diet commandments, you will help minimize the bone and muscle losses while also minimizing any fat gains. And you can keep your hydration in balance by drinking lots of water and avoiding diuretic beverages such as caffeine and alcohol.

In terms of body shape, time deals us all a double whammy: Not only do postmenopausal women have on average 20 percent more fat mass than premenopausal women, but this new excess fat usually becomes distributed above the waist rather than on the hips, buttocks and thigs. And unfortunately, this tendency toward an apple shape, as opposed to the more typical premenopausal pear shape, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Perhaps, because of the drop in estrogen levels, postmenopausal women’s risk of heart disease starts to resemble that of a man’s just as their torso tends toward the man’s classic pot- bellied apple shape as well.