Research
Obesity linked to up to 27% lower risk of death in dementia
The Brief
- A study of more than 4,500 older adults found that people who were overweight or obese when diagnosed with dementia had a 16% to 27% lower risk of death than those at a normal weight.
- Researchers suspect extra energy and muscle reserves may help these patients survive, but this is a hypothesis rather than a established cause.
Why it matters
The finding challenges the assumption that higher body weight is uniformly harmful for people with dementia, which may matter for how clinicians interpret weight and prognosis in this group.
Who’s affected
- researchers studying dementia, obesity and mortality
- clinicians caring for older adults with dementia
A surprising study of more than 4,500 older adults found that people who were overweight or obese when diagnosed with dementia had a 16% to 27% lower risk of death than those at a normal weight. Researchers suspect that extra energy and muscle reserves may help patients survive…