Obesity significantly increases risk of dementia
People who are obese have a significantly higher risk of developing dementia as they age, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Their analysis of published obesity and dementia prospective follow-up studies over the past two decades shows a consistent relationship between the two diseases.
“Our analysis of the data shows a clear association between obesity and an increased risk for dementia and several clinical sub-types of the disease,” said Dr Youfa Wang, senior author of the study, and associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Center for Human Nutrition.
“Subjects with a healthy body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference saw a decreased risk for dementia than their counterparts with an elevated BMI or waist circumference,” Wang said.
“Preventing or treating obesity at a younger age could play a major role in reducing the number of dementia patients and those with other commonly associated illnesses such as Alzheimer’s Disease by up to 20% in the United States.”
Researchers attribute these findings to a systematic review of 10 previously published studies that examined the relationships between dementia or its sub-types and various measures of body fat.
Based on a pooled analysis of their findings from seven of the studies, baseline obesity compared to normal weight increased the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by 80% on average.
The team further concluded that being underweight also increases the risk of dementia and its sub-types.
