Body mass index (BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) could also be one of the risk factors for dementia amongst coronary disease, stroke, and other vascular disorders that predict dementia. Researchers from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteburg analysed 7402 men who were between the age of 47 to 55 years old, between 1970 and 1973. None of the men had a history of stroke or heart attack at the start of the study. The investigators classified the subjects into four groups: 22 men diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease; 78 men with a secondary diagnosis of dementia; 154 diagnosed with dementia as a primary diagnosis or cause of death; and 7148 men who had never been diagnosed with dementia. After adjustment for smoking, blood pressure, serum cholesterol level, diabetes mellitus, and social class, the researchers found that the likelihood of dementia rose linearly as body mass index increased. The relationship between BMI and dementia as a primary diagnosis was J-shaped, and men with a BMI between 20 and 22.49 had the lowest risk of developing dementia. The risk rose steadily by 2.5 times for men with a BMI of 30 or higher. Obesity could be a major preventable factor in the development of dementia.
Archives of Internal Medicine,
February 2005