Gaining weight, losing memory

That extra twenty pounds which snuck up on you in middle age may be contributing to a higher risk of dementia according to a new study from Sweden.

The research was not intended to find a relationship between weight and dementia, but find it they did. According to Dr. Weili Zu, the study's lead author from the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm, the evidence clearly points in that direction. The findings indicate that the control of one’s weight in mid-life is a key element to preventing dementia later.

Zu and her research team studied 9000 twins over a period of 30 years. The study started when the twins were 43. Thirty years later they examined the twins for signs of failing mental capacity and declining memory skills. They noted which had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

At 43 years of age, a third of the participants were overweight. Researchers found that group had an 80% higher chance of developing some kind of dementia than those of normal weight. Furthermore, the higher their weight, the greater their chances of memory dysfunction. As an overall total, 4% of those that participated in the study had been diagnosed with dementia.

They acknowledged that there could be a genetic factor separate from the weight contributing to the memory loss. Still, they surmised that fat tissue in the body releases hormones and other signaling cells that may affect brain function.

Additionally, extra weight contributes to diabetes, heart and blood vessel diseases – conditions which also bring on dementia.

Source: Neurology, Reuters