Excess Weight in Older Women Linked to Diminished Memory

Excess Weight in Older Women Linked to Diminished Memory

Middle aged women who are overweight may have yet another motivation to take off those excess pounds. The more a postmenopausal woman weighs, the worse her memory, researchers have found.

The negative impact on memory was more pronounced in “pear-shaped” women who carry excess weight around their hips, and less of a factor in “apple-shaped” women who carry it around their waists, the study authors noted.

In the new study, researchers found that for every one point increase in a woman’s body mass index (BMI), her score on a standard memory test – though still in the normal range – dropped by one point. (BMI is a measurement that takes into account height and weight as well.)

The study, which was based on data from nearly 9,000 women, was released online July 14 in advance of publication in the August print issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study really underscores the importance of maintaining an ideal body weight. Even if a woman feels that she’s generally healthy because her blood pressure and cholesterol levels are good, what these findings suggest is that she also needs to pay attention to her weight, because it’s not only good for her heart, it’s also good for her brain one of the researchers explained.

For the study researchers examined data on 8,745 women between the ages of 65 and 79 who had no signs of dementia or other brain abnormalities. In addition to looking at BMI and waist and hip measurements (to determine body fat distribution), they also reviewed the women’s scores on a 100-point cognitive functioning test known as the Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination. Roughly 70 percent of the women were overweight or obese.

After controlling for age, level of education and vascular diseases that have been shown to raise the risk of dementia, such as stroke, the researchers found that the association between obesity and poorer memory and brain function persisted. Researchers added that although the women’s scores were still in the normal range, the added weight clearly had a detrimental effect.

They stated that more studies are needed to confirm and explain the apparent disparity between pear- and apple-shaped women. But one possibility is that the type of fat that’s deposited on the hips is more likely to release hormones that are detrimental to brain function. A follow-up study now in the planning stages will involve conducting MRIs of women’s bodies so they can look at how much abdominal fat they have versus hip fat, and see if there’s any difference in their brain functioning researchers explained.

This study expands on several others involving body shape, in which obese apple-shaped women – but not pear-shaped women – were found to be at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and dementia.

What this study is really telling us is that there’s something about obesity that puts you at risk for dementia, and it’s independent of other factors such as vascular disease.

Researchers added that he hoped the results would coax more older women to exercise regularly in order to maintain a healthy weight. This is really a call for women to make an effort to get more active, find an exercise partner, and do something every day.

The Team at i-Supplements.com

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