News

Volume 4 Issue 16 - August 15, 2006

Study reveals that obesity causes dementia

D.N.I.S. News Network – The chances of middle-aged people developing dementia later in life have been calculated for the first time in a study that also outlines key lifestyle changes required to reduce the risk.

By assessing factors such as blood pressure, body fat and cholesterol levels in 1,400 middle-aged Finns, scientists were able to predict the onset of dementia 20 years later. The study by the Ageing Research Centre in Stockholm, Sweden, is seen as a major breakthrough that would induce people to change their lifestyle in order to protect themselves from the onset of this condition.

The study revealed that people who were obese, or had high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels by the age of 40 were more likely to develop dementia by the age of 60. Having any one of these risk factors doubles a person’s chance of developing the disability, but having all three factors increases the chances six times.