US study links higher body weight to lower mortality in dementia — ScienceAlert

A study involving 4,523 adults aged 51 and older in the United States found an association between higher body weight at the start of observation and a lower risk of death among people who later developed dementia. ScienceAlert reports on the findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Observation results

At the beginning of the study, all participants did not have dementia, but they later developed the disease. They were divided into four groups by body mass index: normal body weight, overweight, class I obesity, and class II–III obesity. The observation lasted up to 20 years.

Compared with the normal-weight group, the risk of death during the study period was 16% lower among people who were overweight. For participants with class I obesity, it was 27% lower, and for those with class II–III obesity, 22% lower.

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What the researchers accounted for

The authors of the analysis accounted for sex, education level, race and ethnicity, smoking status, and other chronic diseases. They also checked whether the result could be explained by the fact that some people with normal body weight had previously been overweight but lost weight because of worsening health. The identified association remained after this check.

The scientists emphasize that the findings do not mean that people with dementia should gain weight. The study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The authors cite eating-related problems in people with dementia as one possible explanation: they may skip meals, forget to eat, lose their appetite, or have difficulty eating independently. Additional stores of fat or muscle tissue could potentially be important under such conditions.