An 18-Year Follow-up of Overweight and Risk of Alzheimer Disease

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Abstract
OVERWEIGHT AND obesity are increasing at epidemic proportions among Western societies.1,2 The prevalence of overweight and obesity is more than 50% among adults in the United States and Europe,2,3 with the highest prevalence observed among adults 50 years and older.2,3 Dementia is also a major public health problem that will continue to increase rapidly as people live to older ages. By age 85 years, the incidence of dementia approaches 10%,4 and its prevalence is approximately 30%.5 The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer disease (AD), a degenerative dementia. Vascular dementia (VaD), the second most common dementia, is a direct consequence of cerebrovascular disorders. Recently, however, several studies suggest that there may be an association between AD and vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis,6 hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.7 Since overweight and obesity increase risk of vascular disorders,8 overweight and obesity may be risk factors for both AD and VaD. Surprisingly, few studies have examined this hypothesis.