Overweight = Dementia?

A new study suggests that:

Having a large gut in midlife increases the chance of dementia in old age, according to new research published Wednesday that suggests that abdominal fat is a bigger risk factor than even family history.

The study of 6,583 adults found that people with the highest amount of abdominal fat between the ages of 40 and 45 were about three times more likely to develop dementia than those with the lowest amount...

..."This ought to be a wake-up call to baby boomers in terms of diet and exercise," said Dr. Sam Gandy, a spokesman for the Alzheimer's Assn. who was not involved in the study. "If they are not frightened enough about heart disease, maybe they will worry about losing their mental function."

Dementia is an age-related condition that involves the loss of memory and other cognitive functions. It affects 5.7 million Americans, or about 1 in 10 people over age 65. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60% to 80% of cases.

Being overweight has also become a significant health problem in the U.S. About 50% of the nation's adults have an unhealthy amount of belly fat, according to the latest report.

Of course, if you are overweight, odds are you've forgotten everything you've just read.