May 9 - Obesity Linked to Increased Risk for Dementia

Obesity may increase adults’ risk for having dementia, 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. The results are published in a recent issue of Obesity Reviews.

“Our analysis of the data shows a clear association between obesity and an increased risk for dementia and several clinical subtypes of the disease,” says Youfa Wang, MD, PhD, senior author of the study and an 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 adds, “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.”

Lead researcher May A. Beydoun attributes these findings to a systematic review of 10 previously published studies that examined the relationships between dementia or its subtypes and various measures of body fat. Based on a pooled analysis of their findings from 7 of the studies, baseline obesity compared with 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 subtypes. The studies cited in the meta-analysis were conducted in a number of countries, including the United States, Finland, Sweden, and France, and contained middle-aged and older adults.

Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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