Few milestones in life are less glamorous and rude than the arrival of middle age. Our skin noticeably slackens, we get more gray hair, and of course our clothes usually start to feel a little tighter, especially around the waist.
The last of these is known as middle age spreads. This is the commonly accepted idea that as you get older you start gaining weight around your abdomen. We can no longer escape so much, and our efforts to flatten our bellies through diet and exercise become a losing battle.
So far so miserable. But last July, this idea was blown out of the water in her survey of more than 6,000 people around the world. Metabolism remains remarkably stable with age, at least until the 60s. “It showed that our metabolism is much less regulated than we thought.” The idea is welcome news for those approaching middle age (usually defined as the ages between 45 and 65) and facing a terrifying spread. But that leaves a serious question: If metabolism isn’t the culprit, what is it? And what can be done about it?
The spread of middle-aged and older people is more…
