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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Sick of that spare tire around your midsection? Here's motivation to lose that jelly belly: a new study found people in their 40s with fat abdomens have a higher risk of dementia when they reach their 70s.
Scientists at Kaiser Permanente measured the abdominal density of 6,583 people age 40 to 45 and found after about 36 years, 16 percent had been diagnosed with dementia. Researchers say overweight participants with large bellies were 2.3 times more likely to develop dementia than individuals at a normal weight and belly size, while those who were obese with a large abdomen were 3.6 times more likely. In addition, participants who were overweight or obese but did not have a large midsection had an 80 percent increased risk of dementia.
"Considering that 50 percent of adults in this country have abdominal obesity, this is a disturbing finding," Rachel Whitmer, Ph.D., a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., was quoted as saying. "It is well known that being overweight in midlife and beyond increases risk factors for disease. However, where one carries the weight -- especially in midlife -- appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk."
SOURCE:
Neurology, published online March 26, 2008
