Based on a new study, a person should be watchful of the extra weight regardless of his age. Midlife obesity, for instance, can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease earlier than those who are of normal weight.
There's considerable research about Alzheimer's disease, especially within the last decade, and one of these is the possible link between the disease and obesity. The researchers from the National Institutes of Health take them a step further by analyzing whether obesity promotes early onset of the disease.
For the study, the team used the data found in Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, which has been closely following the aging process of healthy individuals. Among the thousands of records, they chose more than 1,200 participants who had gone through regular cognitive tests for a period of 14 years. Among the group, at least 142 had eventually developed the disease.
The researchers then compared health data pertaining to the body mass index, weight, and cognitive health among the participants starting when they were 50. They then found out that the higher the BMI of the person is, the higher the chance of having early diagnosis of the disease.
For instance, those who had a BMI of 30, which is already considered obese, by the time they were 50 years old can be diagnosed with Alzheimer's at least 12 months earlier than those who were considered overweight.
Further, even if the obese participants didn't develop dementia, they could still show symptoms of the disease such as clogging of the brain, as indicated by brain scans conducted while they were still living and during autopsies.
The researchers know that the link needs more comprehensive and bigger study, but the message would probably remain the same-that is, it pays to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes reducing or controlling weight.
The results of the study have already been published in Molecular Psychiatry.