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- Alzheimer’s Caregivers at Risk for Depression
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease May Put You at Risk for Alzheimer’s
- Why More Women Than Men Get Alzheimer’s Disease
- Stress May Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk; Take Steps to Reduce It
- Sleeping Pills May Increase Your Dementia Risk
- Poor Vision May Increase Your Risk of Dementia
- Stay Social! Being Alone Can Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk
- High or Low Blood Pressure May Raise the Risk of Dementia
- How Alcohol Might Affect Your Dementia Risk
- The Hidden Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Being Overweight May Be Bad for Your Brain
- Heart Risks Tied to Increased Dementia Risks
- ‘A4’ Study Links Beta-Amyloid to Early Alzheimer’s
- Stay Social! Being Alone Can Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk
- Depression Increases the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Poor Sleep Tied to Rise in Alzheimer’s Protein in Blood
- Air Pollution Tied to Alzheimer’s Brain Changes
- The Tau of Alzheimer’s
- Anemia Tied to Alzheimer’s Risk
- ‘Squeezed’ Blood Vessels in the Brain May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Onset
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- A Reminder to Keep Taking Your Blood Pressure Medications
- Take Your Blood Pressure Meds. It May Reduce Your Alzheimer’s Risk.
- Drug Company to Pursue Approval of Aducanumab, New Drug for Alzheimer’s
- Drugs May Not Be the Best Choice for Easing the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Drug May Lead to Life-Threatening Muscle Disease
- Opioid Painkillers Increase Pneumonia Risk in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Drug Companies Halt Trials of Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s Disease
- Diabetes Treatments May Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- Can Mushrooms Help Your Memory?
- Buyer Beware: Dietary Supplement’s Won’t Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Deep Sleep May Help Protect the Brain Against Alzheimer’s Onset
- Flu and Pneumonia Vaccines May Help Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Fish as Brain Food, Combating the Effects of Pollution
- 5 Ways to Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk
- Modest Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables May Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk
- Processed Meat and Starchy Foods, Particularly in Combination, May Raise Dementia Risk
- Stay Social! Being Alone Can Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk
- A Daily Aspirin May Have Limited Brain Benefits
- For a Younger Brain, Try Walking, Gardening, Swimming or Dancing
- Moderate Drinking May Be Good for Your Brain
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- The Ups and Downs of New Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease
- A Rare Genetic Mutation May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
- Income Drops in Young Adulthood May Impair Brain Health
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Grows Closer
- Are We Getting Closer to an Alzheimer’s Vaccine?
- Why More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s Disease
- Scientists get a ‘total surprise’ and a promising new clue for how to cure Alzheimer’s
- Some 44 Million People Have Alzheimer’s Worldwide
- Nearly 14 Million Americans Will Have Alzheimer’s Disease by 2060
- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
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- Fisher Center in Top 1% of Charities Again
- Important Message from Us to You during COVID-19
- Lucretia V. Holden promoted to Executive Director at the Fisher Center
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 8th Consecutive Year
- Fisher Center For Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Wins Fall 2018 Digital Health Awards®
- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
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Exploring the Link Between Body Weight and Alzheimer’s
October 17, 2007
October 17, 2007
Carrying excess weight has been linked to a variety of chronic ailments, including heart disease, strokes, and diabetes. Being overweight in middle age has also been linked to an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease late in life. But, a new study suggests, overweight seniors do not appear to be at high risk for memory problems. In fact, seniors who were underweight were more likely to be at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, the study found.
The six-year study, reported in the medical journal Neurology, examined 3,885 seniors living in Chicago. Nearly a fourth of the men and women were overweight or obese.
All were given memory tests at the start of the study, with regular follow-ups over the next six years. The researchers, from Rush University Medical Center, found that overweight or obese seniors were not at higher risk for developing memory problems.
“We do not know yet why being overweight or obese does not increase the risk for cognitive decline in old age,” said study author Maureen T. Sturman, MD, MPH. “While past studies have found obesity in middle age increases a person’s risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, our findings show obesity in old age has no effect on a person’s memory.”
Underweight seniors, on the other hand, did show a greater decline in memory and thinking skills over time. “Being underweight may be a correlate of the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Sturman. “These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that weight loss or low body mass index in old age may be a precursor of cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease.”
One recent study, for example, found that women who have dementia start losing weight at least 10 years before the disease is diagnosed. [See the article, “Weight Loss May Occur Years Before Alzheimer’s Onset in Women.”] One reason may be that loss of initiative, along with a loss of sense of smell, in the very early stages of memory loss would discourage seniors from eating nutritious and regular meals.
Still, nobody is suggesting that seniors pack on pounds to help stave off Alzheimer’s disease. Carrying excess weight during the middle and seniors years is associated with a list of physical ills, like heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. And while this particular study did not find a direct link between excess weight and memory problems, more research is needed to clarify the association between obesity and Alzheimer’s.
The best bet is likely to try to maintain a normal weight and good nutrition through a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
For more on the care and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, visit www.ALZinfo.org.
By www.ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source:
M.T. Sturman, MD, MPH, C.F. Mendes de Leon, PhD, J. Lienias, Scd, et al: “Body Mass Index and Cognitive Decline in a Biracial Community Population.” Neurology, September 19, 2007.
