Healthy older adults who lose more than 10% of their body weight are more than twice as likely to die from any cause compared with those with stable weight, Australian researchers report.

This mortality risk was particularly pronounced among elderly men, who had a 3.9-fold greater all-cause mortality risk irrespective of baseline weight.

In contrast, elderly women who lost 10% or more of their body mass had a 2.1-fold increased risk of death, according to the Monash University–led team.

Their findings were based on a post-hoc analysis of the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, which included more than 16,500 Australian and US participants (mean age 75).