Over-eating can lead to dementia
Over-eating in old age may double the chance of memory loss, according to a new American study. Researchers found consuming 2,100 to 6,000 calories could cause cognitive impairment in elderly people and suggested keeping to a frugal diet in old age could help keep the mind sharp.
Over-eating in old age may double the chance of memory loss, according to a new American study.
Researchers found consuming 2,100 to 6,000 calories could cause cognitive impairment in elderly people and suggested keeping to a frugal diet in old age could help keep the mind sharp.
The eating and drinking habits of 1,200 people aged 70 to 89 years without dementia were given memory tests, and 163 of these participants were found to have had memory problems; with the odds more than double for those in the highest calorie-consuming group compared with the lowest.
Study author, Dr Yonas Geda from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, confirmed the higher the number of calories each day a person consumed, the higher the risk of mild cognitive impairment – which is described as the stage between normal memory loss and the beginnings of Alzheimer’s disease.
The participants were divided into three groups – one group consumed 600 to 1,526 calories a day, the other between 1,526 and 2,143 and the final group took in 2,143 to 6,000 calories.
No significant difference was found between the lowest and middle groups, suggesting consuming less than 2,100 calories does not raise the risk of memory problems.
Researchers are becoming increasingly interested in the role played by diet and exercise.
A small-scale study two years ago found people with the genes associated with obesity tended to have smaller brains than other people – which increases the risk of dementia.
People who do physical exercise and brain-training puzzles have also been found to stave off the effects.
