OBESE people in their 50s have a 31 per cent bigger risk of getting dementia, researchers say.
And they think the danger is highest for women with belly fat.
1
University College London’s Prof Andrew Steptoe called dementia, the most common type of which is Alzheimer’s, “one of the major health challenges”.
He told International Journal of Epidemiology: “Dementia is one of the major health challenges of the 21st century that could threaten successful ageing of the population.
“Our findings suggest that rising obesity rates will compound the issue.
“By identifying factors that may raise dementia risk that are influenced by lifestyle factors, we hope that a substantial portion, but admittedly not all, of dementia cases can be prevented through public health interventions.”
Dr Dorina Cadar, from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, and senior author on the study, said: “These findings provide new evidence that obesity may have important implications in terms of dementia risk.
“Both BMI and waist circumference status should be monitored to avoid metabolic or vascular complications.
“Hence, reducing weight to optimal levels is recommended by adopting healthy and balanced patterns of eating, such as the Mediterranean diet, appropriate physical exercise and reduced alcohol consumption throughout the course of the entire adult life span.”
The research team analysed data from more than 6,500 people who were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
The database of over-50s holds information about health.
Source: | The sun
