Lower Weight Linked With Higher Alzheimer’s Risk In Seniors
- 8 years ago
Seniors who weigh less may be more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, finds a new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Seniors who weigh less may be more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, finds a new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
For the study, the team explored the relationship between a lower body mass index (BMI) and beta amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
They assessed 280 generally healthy participants aged 62 to 90.
A press release issued by the Massachusetts General Hospital notes, "Participants' initial enrollment data included...PET imaging with Pittsburgh compound B (PiB), which can visualize amyloid plaques in the brain."
The team found that "...a lower BMI was associated with greater retention of PiB, indicating more extensive amyloid deposits in the brain. The association was most pronounced in normal-weight participants, who were the group with the lowest BMI in the study."
While the correlation with lower weight still needs to be researched further, Gad Marshall, senior author of the recent study, is quoted as saying: “A likely explanation...is that low BMI is an indicator for frailty - a syndrome involving reduced weight, slower movement and loss of strength that is known to be associated with Alzheimer's risk.”
He also notes that the team is currently “studying whether BMI is associated with any other clinical and imaging markers of Alzheimer's disease.”
Seniors who weigh less may be more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, finds a new study conducted by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
For the study, the team explored the relationship between a lower body mass index (BMI) and beta amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
They assessed 280 generally healthy participants aged 62 to 90.
A press release issued by the Massachusetts General Hospital notes, "Participants' initial enrollment data included...PET imaging with Pittsburgh compound B (PiB), which can visualize amyloid plaques in the brain."
The team found that "...a lower BMI was associated with greater retention of PiB, indicating more extensive amyloid deposits in the brain. The association was most pronounced in normal-weight participants, who were the group with the lowest BMI in the study."
While the correlation with lower weight still needs to be researched further, Gad Marshall, senior author of the recent study, is quoted as saying: “A likely explanation...is that low BMI is an indicator for frailty - a syndrome involving reduced weight, slower movement and loss of strength that is known to be associated with Alzheimer's risk.”
He also notes that the team is currently “studying whether BMI is associated with any other clinical and imaging markers of Alzheimer's disease.”