Higher adiposity is not associated with incident dementia

January 01, 0001

Higher adiposity is not associated with incident dementia

The aim of this study was to determine if adiposity in later life increases dementia hazard. It consisted of a cohort study of 12,047 men aged 65-84 years living in Perth, Australia. Adiposity exposures were baseline body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). They used the Western Australian Data Linkage System (WADLS) to establish the presence of new cases of dementia between 1996 and 2009 according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Compared with men with BMI less than 25, participants with BMI between 25-30 had lower adjusted hazard ratio of dementia (HR = 0.82). The HR of dementia for men with BMI greater than or equal to 30 was comparable to men with BMI less than 25 (HR = 0.82). Waist circumference showed no obvious association with dementia hazard. Men with WHR greater than or equal to 0.9 had lower adjusted HR of dementia than men with WHR less than 0.9 (HR = 0.82). They found a "J" shape association between measures of obesity and the hazard of dementia, with the nadir of risk being in the overweight range of BMI and about 1 for WHR.

The researchers concluded: "Higher adiposity is not associated with incident dementia in this Australian cohort of older men. Overweight men and those with WHR greater than or equal to 0.9 have lower hazard of dementia than men with normal weight and with WHR less than 0.9."

I don’t mind being so cuddly.


For the full abstract, click here.

PLoS ONE 6(3):e1790, 25 March 2011 © 2011 Power et al
Body Adiposity in Later Life and the Incidence of Dementia: The Health in Men Study. Power BD, Alfonso H, Flicker L, Hankey GJ, Yeap BB, et al. Correspondence to Osvaldo P. Almeida: [email protected]

Category: N. Neurological, T. Endocrine/Metabolic/Nutritional. Keywords: adiposity, incidence, dementia, cohort study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Stephen Wilkinson, Melbourne, Australia. Posted on Global Family Doctor 19 April 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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