Being overweight during middle age may increase the risk of developing dementia later on.
Being overweight during middle age may increase the risk of developing dementia later on.
Previous studies have linked obesity in middle age to dementia in later life, but it was unclear whether merely carrying some extra kgs in midlife was a risk factor. The following research suggests that even being overweight - defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 - is linked with a higher risk of dementia.
Being overweight at midlife increased the risk of dementia in late life by more than 70 percent. Being obese raised the risk even more, to nearly fourfold. Although the effect of midlife overweight on dementia is not as substantial as that of obesity, its impact on public health is significant. The researchers noted that 1.6 billion adults worldwide are obese or overweight.
Researchers from Sweden analysed data on 8,534 twins aged 65 years and older. Of those, 350 were diagnosed with dementia and 114 with possible dementia. Thirty years earlier, the participants had provided what then must have seemed like mundane data: their height and weight. That data would prove invaluable as the researchers grouped them according to their BMIs, from underweight to obese (having a BMI higher than 30). Nearly 30 percent were either overweight or obese during midlife. Further analysis showed that being overweight or obese in midlife independently increased the risk of later dementia, including Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. About 26 percent of participants without dementia had been overweight at midlife, compared to 36 percent of those with possible dementia and 39 percent with diagnosed dementia. And although 2.7 percent of seniors without dementia had been obese at midlife, 6.9 percent of those with dementia had been obese, as well as 5.3 percent of those with possible dementia.
When the researchers analysed twin pairs in which one had dementia in later life and one did not, they found the link to weight no longer significant, suggesting early environment and genetics also play roles in dementia. Why the weight-dementia link? Several mechanisms could explain it. A higher BMI is linked with diabetes and vascular disease, which is in turn related to the risk of dementia. Higher weight at midlife may reflect a long period of exposure to higher inflammation throughout the body, which has been linked with lower cognitive function.
Although the study finds a link between being overweight in midlife and dementia risk, it does not prove cause-and-effect. Still, there is evidence that fatty tissue secretes inflammatory cytokines and other chemicals, which may have a direct effect on the brain inflicting damage to the neurons.
The researchers noted several study limitations, including the notion that BMI may not be the perfect measure of body fat composition. They also noted that in terms of lowering dementia risk, it's never too late to start reducing body fat.
Previous studies have linked obesity in middle age to dementia in later life, but it was unclear whether merely carrying some extra kgs in midlife was a risk factor. The following research suggests that even being overweight - defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 - is linked with a higher risk of dementia.
Being overweight at midlife increased the risk of dementia in late life by more than 70 percent. Being obese raised the risk even more, to nearly fourfold. Although the effect of midlife overweight on dementia is not as substantial as that of obesity, its impact on public health is significant. The researchers noted that 1.6 billion adults worldwide are obese or overweight.
Researchers from Sweden analysed data on 8,534 twins aged 65 years and older. Of those, 350 were diagnosed with dementia and 114 with possible dementia. Thirty years earlier, the participants had provided what then must have seemed like mundane data: their height and weight. That data would prove invaluable as the researchers grouped them according to their BMIs, from underweight to obese (having a BMI higher than 30). Nearly 30 percent were either overweight or obese during midlife. Further analysis showed that being overweight or obese in midlife independently increased the risk of later dementia, including Alzheimer's and vascular dementia. About 26 percent of participants without dementia had been overweight at midlife, compared to 36 percent of those with possible dementia and 39 percent with diagnosed dementia. And although 2.7 percent of seniors without dementia had been obese at midlife, 6.9 percent of those with dementia had been obese, as well as 5.3 percent of those with possible dementia.
When the researchers analysed twin pairs in which one had dementia in later life and one did not, they found the link to weight no longer significant, suggesting early environment and genetics also play roles in dementia. Why the weight-dementia link? Several mechanisms could explain it. A higher BMI is linked with diabetes and vascular disease, which is in turn related to the risk of dementia. Higher weight at midlife may reflect a long period of exposure to higher inflammation throughout the body, which has been linked with lower cognitive function.
Although the study finds a link between being overweight in midlife and dementia risk, it does not prove cause-and-effect. Still, there is evidence that fatty tissue secretes inflammatory cytokines and other chemicals, which may have a direct effect on the brain inflicting damage to the neurons.
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