Lower Weight May Indicate Onset of Alzheimer's

It may be a good sign to be overweight or obese in later life as weight loss is considered to be a strong indicator of impending Alzheimer's disease much before the appearance of tell tale symptoms like memory problems.

Older people who did not suffer any memory problems and who showed proof of slight mental impairment and were of normal weight portrayed serious indications and risk of Alzheimer's disease.

"Our research suggests that there are very early [bodily] changes associated with this disease," says researcher Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, who is the associate director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center. "We think of Alzheimer's as just a disease of the brain, but this may not be the case."

Brain imaging showed that 85% of people who are victims of mild mental impairment and who were of normal weight or underweight portrayed signs of beta-amyloid plaques, which is an important characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Among those who portrayed mild impairment and were overweight, only 48% showed signs of the plaques.


Source: Medindia