Women over the age of 60 who suffered a significant weight loss were found to have a 1.7 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for about 70% of the onset of dementia. Getty Image Bank
According to a study, women over 60 have a 1.7-fold higher risk of developing senile dementia (Alzheimer’s disease) if they lose weight significantly.
This is the result of an analysis of the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and Alzheimer’s disease in subjects aged 60 to 79 without Alzheimer’s disease by Young-Sik Kim (Dept. of Family Medicine) and Seo-Young Kang (International Clinic Center). BMI is the value obtained by dividing the body weight (kg) by the square of the height (㎡).
The research team compared the BMI of 45,076 people aged 60-79 years old who did not have Alzheimer’s disease who had undergone national health check-ups in 2002-2003 in two-year (2004-2005) and 4-year (2006-2007) increments, and the degree of BMI change was determined by Alzheimer’s. We analyzed how it affected the onset of disease
As a result, women whose BMI decreased by more than 5-10%, 10-15%, and 15% over two years had a 1.14 times, 1.44 times, and 1.51 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Women whose BMI decreased at the same rate over four years had a 1.31, 1.6, and 1.68 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, respectively.
On the other hand, in men, even if their BMI decreased for 2 years, it did not have a significant effect on the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Even with a 10 to 15 percent reduction in BMI over four years, the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increased only 1.33 times.
Professor Seo-young Kang said, “When BMI decreases, nutrient deficiency and hormonal changes occur, which leads to cognitive decline, increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.” “Essential fatty acid deficiency causes physiological changes in nerve cell membranes, and vitamin deficiency protects against tissue damage. It slows down the action.”
Professor Kim Young-sik said, “Weight loss in old age can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, and this association was more pronounced in women.” “Weight loss due to insufficient nutritional intake and prevention of sarcopenia due to lack of exercise are important for brain health and prevention of dementia. I said.
Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative neurological disease in which brain tissue decreases and brain function worsens as brain cells are gradually destroyed, and accounts for about 70% of all dementia. Mental behavioral symptoms such as delusion, anxiety, aggression, and cognitive decline such as memory, spatial perception, and judgment are shown.
There have been several studies on the link between BMI and Alzheimer’s disease, such as that obesity increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, there has been insufficient research on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease according to the breadth of changes in BMI in domestic population groups.
The research results were published in the international journal’Scientific Reports’.
Kwon Dae-ik Medical journalist [email protected]
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