Correcting body mass index and blood pressure may prevent dementia

People with obesity and hypertension are more likely to experience dementia than those without these risk factors, according to a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Dementia is a serious and growing problem for healthcare systems worldwide today, with no effective treatment yet available. The disease is accompanied by a gradual deterioration of cognitive functions – memory, thinking, ability to reason and make decisions.

The most common forms of dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and a combination of both. It is a progressive brain disorder in which nerve cells are damaged, leading over time to problems with memory, speech, thinking, behavior and the ability to carry out everyday tasks.

Scientists analyzed data from participants in Copenhagen and the UK and found a clear cause-and-effect link between excess body weight and the development of dementia.

To do this, the method of Mendelian randomization was used – a research approach that, in its logic, resembles randomized clinical trials. This approach treats genetic variants associated with increased BMI as natural “surrogates” for effects similar to those of drugs that affect body weight. Because such genetic variants are randomly distributed when passed from parents to children, their impact on disease risk can be assessed without being confounded by confounding factors.

Thanks to this approach, researchers were able to convincingly show a direct link between high BMI and the likelihood of developing dementia.

In addition, it was found that high blood pressure accounts for a significant portion of this risk. This indicates that prevention and prompt treatment of obesity and hypertension may play an important role in reducing the risk of developing dementia.