Fri Apr 29, 2005 1:47 pm   Reply with quote      

Excess poundage in midlife could spell cognitive trouble in your golden years, claims a large new study that links obesity to dementia.

The findings, which confirm previous research, suggest that "being fat has a detrimental impact on the brain," said study co-author Rachel A. Whitmer, a research scientist at the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California.

People who were obese in middle age -- with a body-mass index of 30 or above -- were 74 percent more likely to have dementia than those of healthy weights, while overweight people, with body mass indexes of 25 to 29.9, were 35 percent more likely to have dementia. The effect was more significant in women.

Men and women who were judged to be fattest by a skin-fold measurement -- in which calipers are used to gauge body fat -- were 60 percent to 70 percent more likely to have dementia than those who had the lowest fat levels.

Sat Apr 30, 2005 12:34 am   Reply with quote      

Carrying a lot of weight when you get older is not only bad for your health, but also it implies that you have a lot of work to do to resolve this problem. Losing weight after you get older is probably more difficult than losing weight when you are younger.