Updated 11.10

Around 80% of Irish people over the age of 50 are overweight or obese.

Just one fifth of men and women in that age group are classed as having a normal waistline, or an acceptable measurement of body fat to height and weight as measured by Body Mass Index.

The findings from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) led by Trinity College in Dublin, shows the problem of obesity in Irish men over 50 is now on a par with the scale of the issue in the US.

Meanwhile, women from poor backgrounds are most at risk of being overweight or obese, with 39% of those in the lowest wealth bracket now classed as obese, compared to a quarter in the highest bracket.

Lead author of the report, Dr Siobhan Leahy, told Newstalk's Breakfast there is a link between obesity in this age group and specific health problems:

The report also highlights the burden on the health services created by older adults suffering from obesity.

A 2012 study carried out for Safefood estimated that overweight and obesity cost the economy here €1.3 billion.

Conditions associated with obesity include cardiovasular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. It is also associated with arthritis, asthma and chronic pain, particularly in women. The prevalence of arthritis among obese women is 44%, compared with 25% of women with a normal weight.

The TILDA group studied 8,000 Irish people over the age of 50.