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Obesity in 40s Raises Risk of Alzheimer's as Senior
Citizens
 April 6, 2006 – Winning the war against obesity in
your 40s can also save your mental abilities as you become a senior
citizen, and maybe even reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's
disease, suggests new research.
Actually, the report says being overweight or
obese
in midlife increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
The study was presented yesterday at the American Academy of Neurology
58th Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif.
The researchers followed nearly 9,000 people over a
period of up to 30 years. The study participants were evaluated for
overweight and obesity by measuring skinfold thickness below the
shoulder and at the back of the upper arm.
★
Those with higher skinfold measurements in their 40s were more likely to
develop Alzheimer’s disease than those with smaller skinfold
measurements.
★
Those in the highest group of shoulder skinfold measurements were nearly
three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as those in the
lowest group.
★
For the arm measurements, those in the highest group were 21⁄2 times as
likely to develop Alzheimer’s as those in the lowest group.
The results did not change when researchers took
into account people with diabetes and other conditions that can increase
the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“These findings are important because obesity and
overweight are treatable and modifiable risk factors,” said study author
Rachel A. Whitmer, PhD, of the Kaiser Permanente Foundation Research
Institute in Oakland, CA.
“These results need to be confirmed, but these
results suggest that keeping your weight down in midlife can help you
remain mentally alert later on in life. And if we don’t control the
current epidemic of obesity, the number of cases of dementia in the
future may increase even higher than is currently predicted.”
Whitmer noted that future studies are needed to
examine the molecular mechanisms that link obesity and Alzheimer’s
disease.
The study was supported by a grant from the
National Institutes of Health.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association
of nearly 19,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is
dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. A
neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing,
treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as
Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease,
and stroke.
For more information about the American Academy of
Neurology, visit
http://www.aan.com.
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