New link found between being overweight and dementia

Tue, 03 May 2011
Scientists in Sweden have uncovered a new link between being overweight and dementia, adding to previous research that had indicated a link between obesity and dementia.

The study of 8,534 Swedish twins published in the journal Neurology, found that middle aged people who were overweight are 71 per cent more likely to develop dementia than for people who are of a normal weight .

Patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more greater than 30, classifying them as obese, were 288 per cent more likely to develop dementia than those who had a BMI level of between 20 and 25. However, it was also shown that the patients with a BMI of between 25 and 30, classified as clinically overweight, were 71 per cent more likely to develop dementia.

Weili Xu, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, commented "We found in this study that being overweight is also a risk for dementia later in life. The risk is not as substantial as for [the] obese, but it has public health importance because of this large number of people worldwide who are overweight."

Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimers Research UK, pointed out "It's likely that dementia is caused by a complex mix of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. However, we still need to know much more about the causes of dementia if we are to find an effective treatment that is so desperately needed."

It is believed that about one in 20 people over the age of the 65 has some form of dementia, and many experts claim that a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk.

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