Obesity linked to higher dementia risk

Obesity is associated with a higher risk of dementia up to 15 years later, finds a new UCL study suggesting that weight management could play a significant role in reducing risk. The findings, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology , suggest that people who are obese in late adulthood face a 31% increased risk of dementia than those whose body mass index (BMI) is within the 'normal' range. The risk may be particularly high for women. Dr Dorina Cadar (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care), the senior author, 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 dysregulations. 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." Current clinical guidelines suggest that obesity is an important modifiable risk factor linked to individual lifestyle behaviours. But the association has remained somewhat unclear due to conflicting findings from different studies, with some suggestions that obesity could even be considered a protective health factor among older adults.