Body Fat in Older Men and Dementia Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Brian D. Power, Alfonso Helman, Leon Flicker, Graeme J. Hankey, Bu B. Yeap, Osvaldo P. Almeida
Primary Institution: University of Western Australia
Hypothesis
Does higher body fat in older men increase the risk of developing dementia?
Conclusion
Higher body fat is not associated with an increased risk of dementia in older men, and those who are overweight may actually have a lower risk.
Supporting Evidence
- Overweight men had lower dementia hazard than men with normal BMI.
- Men with WHR≥0.9 had lower hazard of dementia than men with WHR<0.9.
- The cumulative hazard of dementia was highest for those with normal BMI.
Takeaway
Being a little overweight might actually help older men avoid dementia, instead of making it more likely.
Methodology
Cohort study of 12,047 men aged 65–84 years, measuring body fat and tracking dementia diagnoses over time.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to differential survival and reliance on self-reported health conditions.
Limitations
The study only included men, which may limit the applicability of the findings to women.
Participant Demographics
Men aged 65-84 years living in Perth, Australia.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.82 (for BMI 25-30 vs <25)
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.70–0.95 (for BMI 25-30 vs <25)
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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