Newswise — ST. PAUL, Minn. 鈥� Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer鈥檚 disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study examines this relationship between Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and BMI.
The study, published in the November 22, 2011, print issue of 狈别耻谤辞濒辞驳测庐, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, examined 506 people with advanced brain imaging techniques and analyses of cerebrospinal fluid to look for biomarkers for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, which can be present years before the first symptoms begin. The participants, who were part of the Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease. Neuroimaging Initiative, included people with no memory problems, people with mild cognitive impairment, or mild memory problems, and people with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
The study found that in people with no memory or thinking problems and in people with mild cognitive impairment, those who had the Alzheimer鈥檚 biomarkers were also more likely to have a lower BMI than those who did not have the biomarkers.
For example, 85 percent of the people with mild cognitive impairment who had a BMI below 25 had signs of the beta-amyloid plaques in their brains that are a hallmark of the disease, compared to 48 percent of those with mild cognitive impairment who were overweight. The relationship was also found in people with no memory or thinking problems.
鈥淭hese results suggest Alzheimer鈥檚 disease brain changes are associated with systemic metabolic changes in the very earliest phases of the disease,鈥� said study author Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, MS, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. 鈥淭his might be due to damage in the area of the brain called the hypothalamus that plays a role in regulating energy metabolism and food intake. Further studies should investigate whether this relationship reflects a systemic response to an unrecognized disease or a long-standing trait that predisposes a person to developing the disease.鈥� The study was supported by the University of Kansas Alzheimer Disease Center, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 24,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinson鈥檚 disease and epilepsy.
For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com.
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