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Obese Women Risk Dementia

Posted on: Tuesday, 23 November 2004, 09:00 CST

OBESE women have an increased risk of suffering dementia in later life, researchers claimed yesterday.

A study followed 290 women born between 1908 and 1922, looking at the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the loss of brain tissue -- brain atrophy -- between 1968 and 1992.

The researchers found that women who were obese throughout life were more likely to lose brain tissue compared to other women.

More than half of people in the UK are either overweight or obese -- in 2002 the figure stood at 70% of men and 63% of women.

Obesity in women nearly trebled between 1980 and 2002 -- from 8% to 23%.

The latest study, published in the journal Neurology, saw researchers in Sweden investigate the link between obesity and loss of tissue in the brain, which can lead to dementia.

The women had a CT scan to measure any loss of brain tissue. The researchers also measured their BMI -- found by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres. A BMI of 25-30 is classed as overweight, while over 30 indicates obesity.

The researchers, from Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, found that an overweight or obese BMI was linked to loss of tissue.

Nearly half of the women -- 144 -- had a loss of tissue in the temporal lobe.

Source: Daily Post; Liverpool

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