Middle-age spread 'seems to reduce dementia risk'

Conclusion This cohort study of more than 1.9 million UK adults aged over 40 links being overweight or obese to a lower risk of dementia, compared with healthy weight people. Underweight people were at a higher risk of dementia. The study has many strengths, such as its large size and applicability to the UK. However, the authors note their results buck the trend of other research, which found being overweight or obese was linked to an increase risk. They suggest their study is probably more reliable than the past ones as they were smaller. They aren't quite sure what this means, and say: "The reasons for and public health consequences of these findings need further investigation." It's important to realise that this finding doesn't mean that gaining weight will somehow protect you against dementia. Many dietary, environmental and genetic factors are likely to influence both BMI and dementia, so the relationship is complex. However, we do know that being overweight or obese is bad for your health. The same is true for people who are underweight as they are not getting the nutrients their body needs, which may be one of the reasons why they were found to have an increased risk of dementia in this study. Dr Liz Couthard, Consultant Senior Lecturer in Dementia Neurology at the University of Bristol, said: "We do know that obesity carries many other risks, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and increased rates of some types of cancer. So ma...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Obesity Source Type: news