Weight-Alzheimer link different for men and women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who are heavy in their middle years are at greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease, especially if they have large waists. However, for men, being underweight during that period of life actually increases the likelihood of developing the degenerative brain disease, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
In addition, changes in weight had different effects on the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for men and women.
“In future studies, investigators should address optimal age- and gender-specific health weight and weight loss strategies for prevention of AD,” Dr. May A. Beydoun of the National Institutes of Health in Baltimore and her colleagues conclude.
Previous research has identified gender differences in the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and Alzheimer’s disease risk, Beydoun and her team note, but scientists do not understand why, or agree on how changes in BMI might be related to Alzheimer’s. To investigate, the researchers looked at 2,322 men and women participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
During the study’s 23-year follow-up period, 187 participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Men who were underweight — meaning they had a BMI of 18.5 or below — at age 30, 40 or 45 were at more than five-fold greater risk of Alzheimer’s than men who were normal weight at those ages. For women, being obese — that is, having a BMI of 30 or greater — and having excess belly fat at 30, 40 or 45 boosted risk more than six-fold.
Furthermore, while men who gained a significant amount of weight between 30 and 50 were 3.7 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those whose weight held steady, weight loss between age 30 and 45 actually doubled the risk for the disease for women.
Weight loss could signal underlying disease processes related to the development of Alzheimer’s disease, Beydoun and her team suggest, noting that other researchers have found that people with mild cognitive impairment who lose weight or are underweight are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
There also appear to be close relationships between fat- and appetite-regulating hormones and brain function, the researchers add, while both excess fat and decline in mental function have been linked to inflammation.
SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, November 15, 2008.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Related Posts:
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Brain scans of people with an abnormality that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease are strengthening the notion that greater education levels somehow protect against this common form of dementia. People with more education did better on memory and problem solving tests than others with similar amounts of brain plaques related
Full Post: Education blunts effects of Alzheimer’s: study
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low levels of cystatin C — a blood protein commonly used as a measure of kidney function — may be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease in elderly men, researchers report. Cystatin C is produced by nearly all human cells and available in all body fluids. During the
Full Post: Blood protein tied to Alzheimer’s disease risk
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among pregnant women at higher-than- average risk of premature delivery, those who are overweight or obese seem to be afforded some protection, a new study suggests. Researchers found that of 253 women who were followed during pregnancy, those who were overweight or obese had a far lower rate of preterm delivery
Full Post: Overweight women have lower risk of premature birth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON (Reuters) - Mentally demanding jobs and more education appear to protect people from the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Italian researchers said on Monday. The findings bolster the previous research about Alzheimer’s and other forms of brain impairment, said Valentina Garibotto of the San Raffaele University and Scientific Institute and the National Institute of
Full Post: Education protects against Alzheimer’s impact
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - High doses of B vitamins failed to slow cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer’s disease, dashing the hopes for a new weapon against the fatal, mind-robbing ailment, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday. Experts had viewed B vitamins as a potential way to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or slow its
Full Post: B vitamins fail in U.S. Alzheimer’s disease study