Study: Women Overweight at Age 70 at Higher Risk of Alzheimer's

Women who are overweight at age 70 are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study reported in the July 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Obesity and being overweight have adverse effects on vascular health, which can in turn play a role in the development of Alzheimer disease.

Using body mass index (BMI), a team of Swedish researchers examined whether being overweight is a risk factor for Alzheimer's. A BMI of 25 or over is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 is considered obese.

The study involved 392 Swedish adults who were not suffering from any form of dementia at the beginning of the study. During the 18-year follow-up, the researchers found that women were more prone to develop dementia between the ages of 79 and 88 years if they were overweight at age 70.

A higher degree of overweight was observed in women who developed Alzheimer's Disease at 70 years, 75 years and 79 years, the researchers reported. For every one point increase in BMI at age 70, the researchers said the risk of developing Alzheimer's increased by 36 percent.

However, the researchers did not find a similar association between being overweight and an increased risk of Alzheimer's in men.

"Our data suggest that overweight at high ages is a risk factor for dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, in women," the researchers concluded.

Other sources: Archives of Internal Medicine 2003;163:1524-1528