A study done at California has suggested that obesity in middle age increases the risk of developing dementia in the future. Dementia is a progressive brain dysfunction that occurs most commonly late in life. Dementia leads to a gradually increasing restriction of daily activities.
The 27 year longitudinal study that was done by a healthcare organization in California analyzed prospective data from a population of around 10276 males and females. The participants who underwent multiphasic health checks between 1964 and 1973 during which they were interviewed, subjected to a clinical examination and a blood sample was collected from them. Height was measured as also the weight and people were categorized according to Body Mass Index. Subscapular and triceps skin fold thickness was also measured using special calipers. Medical records during the period 1994-2003 were screened for diagnosis of dementia and other diseases.The study revealed that obese individuals had a 74% more risk of dementia as compared to those who had normal weight. Overweight people had 35% greater risk of developing dementia. Body Mass Index equal to or more than 30 was considered obese, while BMI in the range 25.0-29.9 was considered overweight. Individuals with a greater distribution of subscapular or triceps skin fold thickness had more risk of dementia. The authors attributed the possible link of middle age obesity to dementia to the fact that adiposity either directly or through predisposition to cardiovascular disease and diabetes can increase the risk of dementia. Obesity has already been linked to various other diseases. One more disease now joins the fray.
