Older Women: Excess Weight Linked To Memory Loss

Filed in archive Alzheimer's Disease , Studies , Weight Loss , Women's Health on July 17, 2010

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A recent study found that there is a direct relationship between excess weight in older women and diminished memory. The study, headed by Dr. Diana Kerwin from the geriatrics division of the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, used 8745 women who had no signs of dementia or other brain abnormalities, aged between 65 and 79 years old as subjects.

Data showed that every point increase in the woman's body mass index (BMI) had a corresponding decrease in her score in the Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination.

Furthermore, the results of the study showed that the negative impact on memory was more pronounced in "pear-shaped" (has excess weight around the hips) women than in "apple-shaped" (with excess weight around the waist) ones.

Although more studies are needed to confirm this, Kerwin said it is possible that the type of fat deposited into a woman's hips is more likely to release hormones detrimental to brain function. Findings were reported and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.