Dieting and exercise together can help the older people who are obese in improving health and losing weight. A number of health complications are associated with obese seniors. The health issues include high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Shedding some calories can reduce these problems.

Adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise can help the older people to remain healthier and more independent. The combination of these two practices will improve their quality of life and will also help the seniors to avoid going to a nursing home.

The research was conducted at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Lead Researcher, Dennis T. Villareal, adjunct Associate Professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and colleagues evaluated the effects of dieting and exercise in more than 100 obese seniors over a one-year period.

The results of the study unveiled that the combination of dieting and exercise improved the physical performance of obese seniors by 21 % whereas, weight loss alone and exercise alone improved physical function by about 12% and 15 %, respectively.