People who are obese in late adulthood are 31% more likely to develop dementia than those who have a body mass index (BMI) within a normal range.
This is the key takeaway from a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology this week, with data collected from more than 6,500 people aged 50 and over.
The findings suggest the risk might be particularly acute for women with abdominal obesity.
So, what can you do about your risk?
The researchers say monitoring both your Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference to watch for any changes is important.
They also advise adopting healthy patterns of eating, such as the Mediterranean diet, taking up appropriate physical exercise and cutting down on your alcohol consumption – throughout your whole adult life.
Now if that’s not a reason to get moving, we don’t know what is!
