Jan 2005
A study reported in the Archives of Neurology suggests weight loss may begin up to six years before a diagnosis of dementia is made. Weight loss has been identified as being a factor in dementia but this is the first study that shows weight loss is associated with early cognitive impairment. It also shows that weight loss increases as the dementia worsens. The researchers believe that this study, involving information collected from a group of 1,890 Japanese American men, shows weight loss not as a primary cause of dementia but is something that contributes to the condition. They feel the weight loss may even speed up dementia.
The men, part of the 32 year Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, were weighed six times between the years 1965 and 1999 and examined for signs of dementia three times between the years 1991 and 1999. Aged between 77 to 98 years 112 of the men developed dementia during the study period. Many of the men with dementia lost at least 11 pounds, (about 10 percent of body weight). The men with dementia were found to have begun loosing weight even before clinical onset of dementia.
Research Conclusions
There are a number of ways in which this piece of research can be interpreted and understood.
The researchers involved were Robert Stewart, MD; Kamal Masaki, MD; Qian-Li Xue, PhD; Rita Peila, MSc; Helen Petrovitch, MD; Lon R. White, MD; Lenore J. Launer, PhD
