Obese 30 somethings face high dementia risk

Thursday August 21st, 2014

Obesity may be a cause of dementia - but people who are obese in their 30s face the biggest risk, researchers warn today.

A new study seeks to link risk of dementia to obesity and to age.

Researchers found that people in their 30s who are obese faced a three and a half times greater risk of developing dementia than others of their generation.

But for people in their 40s the equivalent increase in risk was just 70%.

Professor Michael Goldacre, of Oxford University, UK, studied English hospital records for a 12 year period starting in 1999, identifying more than 450,000 people recorded as obese when they were admitted to hospital.

He says the findings suggest if people can stave off weight gain until their 60s they may enjoy a reduced risk of developing dementia.

The study showed that people in their 30s who were obese faced an equally increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia.

But putting on weight after the age of 60 was linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers write: “While obesity at a younger age is associated with an increased risk of future dementia, obesity in people who have lived to about 60-80 years of age seems to be associated with a reduced risk."

Age at obesity and association with subsequent dementia: record linkage study. Postgraduate Medical Journal 21 August 2014; doi 10.1136/postgradmedj-2014-132571 [abstract]

Tags: Brain & Neurology | Diet & Food | Elderly Health | Fitness | UK News

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