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Link between obesity and dementia
04 July 2007 11:15:48
The Alzheimer's Society findings showed that a clinically obese 60-year-old would be twice as likely to develop dementia before the age of 75 than a 60-year-old of more healthy proportions.
With obesity growing at a worrying rate in the UK - especially among children - the charity has called for urgent action.
Neil Hunt, Alzheimer's Society chief executive, said: "Evidence has shown that a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk…we must start to tackle dementia head on, even delaying dementia by five years will halve the number of deaths in the UK."
His comments were echoed by Professor Clive Ballard, director of research at the charity, who stressed that "it's time to act now to slow the rising tide of dementia".
Professor Ballard continued: "We are only beginning to see how much a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of dementia. Some studies show that obesity can double your risk, while a Mediterranean diet can lower your risk by as much as 40 per cent."
Some 700,000 UK residents currently suffer from dementia, a figure expected to double in the next 50 years.
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