What Weight’s Got to Do with Dementia
What Weight’s Got to Do with Dementia – Obesity may have some advantages, after all!
A new study shows that people who are obese or overweight in middle age are less likely to develop dementia in later years. The study involved almost 2 million people. Lead researcher Dr. Nawab Qizilbash, from OXON Epidemiology Ltd. in Madrid, Spain, and his team analyzed 20 years of medical records on British adults who were 55 years old at the beginning of the study. Researchers found that 15 years later, nearly 45,500 developed dementia, and they were either of normal weight or underweight.
Researchers found that overweight or obese people were 30% less likely to develop dementia, than their normal weight counterparts, while underweight people were 34% more likely to develop dementia than those with normal weight.
However, before you go gaining more weight, you may want to heed what the lead researcher said. According to Qizilbash,”Even if there were to be a protective effect on dementia from being overweight or obese, you may not live long enough to get the benefit.”
The research may provide new ways to address treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It will also make healthcare professionals rethink who may be at risk for dementia. The study was published April 10 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Category: News
