Occurrence of Alzheimer's disease will (UPDATE: probably not) skyrocket in coming years due to the obesity epidemic
Update: this post is probably mostly wrong (sorry!). I made an updated post that I stand behind. Obesity doesn’t seem to be a strong predictor of Alzheimer’s disease at all. The research I based the other article on is misleading.
One of the strongest predictors of Alzheimer’s disease is obesity. A 2007 study of 10,136 people found that mid-life body mass index (BMI) has a huge correlation with occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Specifically, those obese at mid-life (BMI ≥ 30) had a 3.1 fold increased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. People are simply overweight (not obese) have about a two-fold increase in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis later in life [1].
Currently 39% of U.S. adults are obese and 69% are overweight.
Because the obesity rate was only 12% in 1990, we can expect a massive increase in the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in the foreseeable future. So the obesity rate is about 3x as high. Does this mean that Alzheimer’s disease should affect 3x as many people in the future? Yes! One of the biggest obesity-related problems we are faced with is Alzheimer’s disease which is going to be a future plague of biblical proportions.
Obesity can be dealt with through proper nutrition and exercise in many cases. If you need help getting getting your life on track, you should consider working with a health and wellness coach who can help you live your best life, possibly avoiding Alzheimer’s disease down the road. If you think you may be experiencing early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (such as memory loss), you should see a neurologist right away for diagnosis.
Sources
Whitmer, R., Gunderson, E., Quesenberry, C., Zhou, J., & Yaffe, K. (2007). Body Mass Index in Midlife and Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Vascular Dementia. Current Alzheimer Research, 4(2), 103–109. doi:10.2174/156720507780362047
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends-original/obesity-rates-worldwide/#:~:text=Roughly%20two%20out%20of%20three,in%20non%2DHispanic%20White%20adults.