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Obesity in midlife raises Alzheimer's risk

Being overweight during early 40s increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease later.

Obesity in midlife raises Alzheimers risk

Being overweight during early 40s increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease later. Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation Research Institute in Oakland, California thought that once they took into account diabetes and cardiovascular disease, there would be no effect of excess weight on Alzheimer's disease, but that was not the way it turned out. The researchers studied data on nearly 9000 men and women who were between the ages of 40 and 45 years old when they were first examined between 1964 and 1973. Body fat was measured in the back and arms using special callipers. During an average follow-up period of 23 years, 221 cases of Alzheimer's disease were diagnosed. After factoring in the effects of diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure), a strong independent effect was observed for people with extra fat in middle age. Subjects with high levels of fat in the arms and back were nearly 3 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those with low levels. The association was even stronger when taking into account body mass index (BMI), an overall measure of body weight in relation to height. BMI is a good marker for overweight and obesity, but it does not take into account fat regional distribution. This may mean that even if a person is of normal weight, carrying a lot of fat in certain areas, especially the (trunk), puts people at risk. Doctors need to remind people that they need to think about weight in middle age. Losing excess weight and body fat in middle age is not just good for the heart, it's also good for the brain.
American Academy of Neurology,
April 2006
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