HealthDay (2/1, Reinberg) reports, “Declining weight from middle-age years to late life may be a sign of impending dementia,” a study published online Feb. 1 in JAMA Neurology suggests. After analyzing “data on almost 1,900 men and women 70 and older who took part in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging,” researchers found that “people who lose weight over decades appear to have an increased risk for losing memory and thinking skills – called mild cognitive impairment [MCI] – which can lead to dementia.”
Investigators concluded that “a loss of 11 pounds every 10 years may indicate as much as a 24 percent higher risk for loss of mental ability.”
According to Medical Daily (2/1, Cara), several theories may explain the link between weight loss and the risk for dementia. Perhaps weight loss is “an early warning symptom of MCI/dementia, since it’s already known that a loss of appetite is often seen in the elderly, particularly the more frail they are.”
Another theory is that “psychological conditions like depression may also increase the risk of weight loss and MCI simultaneously.” It could also be that “the same protein deposits that accumulate in the brain and can lead to dementia can also interfere with a person’s sense of smell, which in turn reduces calorie intake.”
Related Links:
— “Weight Loss Starting at Midlife Tied to Later Dementia Risk in Study,” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay, February 1, 2016.