Body Mass Index and dementia, a conundrum

15 Oct 2015

Written by Deborah R. Gustafson (University of New York—Downstate Medical Center, NY, USA & Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Sweden)

Neurodegeneration and degenerative disease Opinion

The occurrence of overweight, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are increasing in both developed and developing countries. The first study to report a risk association between AD and being more overweight or obese, measured via higher body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), was published in 2003 [1]. Since then the epidemiological literature on BMI and dementia has escalated and is somewhat mixed [2]. Before discussing the epidemiology however, one needs to understand both exposure and outcome. Exposure, Body Mass Index (BMI) A common and generally acceptable measure for underweight, overweight and obesity in the general population is body mass index (BMI),...