Khaberni - A recent medical study showed that people suffering from obesity and high blood pressure are more susceptible to dementia.
Researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing the health data of residents from Copenhagen and the United Kingdom, proving that an elevated body mass index (BMI) not only accompanies dementia but also directly contributes to its development. To achieve this, they used the Mendelian randomization method, a genetic approach allowing the detection of causative relationships of the disease and reduce the impact of associated factors, and data analysis showed that the higher the BMI resulting from genetic factors, the higher the risk of dementia in old age.
The researchers also found that a large part of the increased risk of dementia was linked to high blood pressure issues as well, and that the combination of obesity and blood pressure problems at the same time in a person sets the conditions for vascular brain damage and accelerates cognitive decline, causing vascular-related dementia.
The researchers emphasize that controlling body weight and blood pressure in midlife is one of the easiest ways to prevent dementia, long before the first memory and thinking related issues appear.
The results of a medical study presented at the last annual conference of the North American Society of Radiology (RSNA) indicated that increasing muscle mass and reducing visceral fat in the body can significantly slow brain aging.
