Excess weight saves from acquired dementia

    Overweight reduces the risk of dementia , which was confirmed by a study with a two millionth sample of patients. Scientists were extremely surprised by the results, which run counter to all tips regarding a healthy lifestyle: now, to prevent acquired dementia, doctors advise not to smoke, play sports and follow a balanced diet.

    An analysis of two million Britons showed that people whose weight is below normal are more likely to be dementia, writes the medical journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology .

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    Photo: BBC

    Doctors predict a triple increase in the number of patients with dementia by 2050, their total number will be 115.4 millionaccording to who. More than $ 604 billion is spent annually on caring for people with dementia and trying to cure them. They cannot completely cure a person with this diagnosis, so you have to try to reduce the risk of developing the disease by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

    A team of scientists analyzed the medical records of 1,958,191 patients over the past twenty years. The age of patients is from 45 to 66 years, on average 55 years. Acquired dementia was found in 45 507 people. Compared to people whose weight is within the normal range, people with reduced weight have a 34% higher risk of dementia. But in people whose weight is above normal, the risk of developing this disease is reduced. With a body mass index of 40 or higher (for obesity), dementia is 29% less common.

    “Yes, this is a surprise,” says Dr. Navam Quizilbash, head of the research team. In an interview with the BBC, he noted that this study was carried out with the highest accuracy and the largest sample, when compared with any other study of this problem.

    There is no exact explanation of the results. There is an assumption that the development of dementia is affected by the lack of vitamins D and E, which are available in food. The more a person eats, the more these vitamins get.

    But doctors do not advise leaning on drinks and sweets: even if overweight helps with dementia, it does not allow you to live long enough to enjoy the benefits. Because you need to remember about cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes and oncology, which are associated with excess weight.

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