According to recent research, the risk of dementia can be increased due to obesity. The Online British Medical Journal published the study which suggested that a state of clinical obesity would increase by 35 % the risk of dementia. In addition to this information, the study also revealed overweight people in their forties are 74 per cent more likely to develop a condition such as dementia in their old age than people of standard weight.
This particular research was conducted on 10,000 US men and woman over a period of 30 years. It used their BMI or Body Mass Index to determine if each person was overweight. Your BMI is a simple and very common route to calculate your ideal weight based on height and current weight. Ideal BMI values are usually between 20 and 25 and in the study, clinically obese was a BMI score of 30+
Findings all add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that being obese increases your likelihood of developing dementia later in life.
In Sweden a mre recent report found that females with a high BMI have a greater chance of brain tissue loss than those that have more normal BMI results.
What is Dementia?
A progressive brain dysfunction that impairs your ability to undertake simple and everyday tasks. You may also know it by the the most common type, Alzheimer's disease. Already common amongst the elderly there are fears that as the population ages the number of people with dementia will increase.
The frequency of dementia cases increases as people get older. From
As people get older it is normal to gain a small amount of weight. Unfortunately, clinical obesity puts a msssive strain on the body and increases your likelihood of developing medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease and of course cancer. Obesity is a growing problem for people of all ages but particularly for the 60+ age group who are less able to cope with obesity's negative impact on health.
Doctors have suggested a series of simple measures to help people lose weight. These include:
- Gradually reduce the amount of calories consumed in a day
- Try and be more active and take some form of exercise three times a week
- Don't over exert yourself. This is particularly relevant for the over 60s. Even 30 minutes of gardening burns off around 200 calories, about the same as in a baked potato or a pint of beer
- If you suffer from any existing medical conditions or take any medication it is a good idea to consult a doctor before attempting to lose weight as you may require specific advice
