Obesity May Exacerbate Alzheimer’s Disease
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LIVING WELL IN
YALOBUSHA COUNTY
By Pamela Redwine
County Coordinator
MSU Extension Agent III
While maintaining a healthy weight may preserve brain structure in the case of mild Alzheimer’s disease, obesity may impact neural tissue vulnerability and worsen Alzheimer’s, based on a multimodal neuroimaging study.
The highlights of the study, published in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease Reports, show how being overweight in mid-life may impact brain health as we age.
According to Professor Annalena Venneri, lead author of the study from the University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute and NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, “More than 50 million people are thought to be living with Alzheimer’s disease and despite decades of ground-breaking studies and a huge global research effort, we still don’t have a cure for this cruel disease.”
Venneri believes prevention plays a pivotal role in fighting this disease. While obesity doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s, the study shows that an additional burden is put on brain health when a person is overweight and this in turn may worsen Alzheimer’s disease.
Venneri notes that chronic conditions that lead to dementia often “lurk in the background” for several years, so don’t put off losing weight until you’re in your 60s if you’re overweight. People should consider their brain health and disease prevention much earlier. Education of children and teens about the risk of being overweight in long term health, including dementia, is also vital.
According to the study, brain structure could be preserved in patients with age-related weight loss in cases of mild Alzheimer’s disease if a healthy weight were maintained.
Dr. Matteo De Marco from the University of Sheffield’s Neuroscience Institute, and a coauthor of the study, notes that weight change is a common symptom in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease as people either forget to eat or start to snack on convenience foods like cookies or chips, instead of more nutritious food.
Healthy weight maintenance could preserve brain structure in people with mild Alzheimer’s disease. Nutrition for brain health is equally important as for heart disease or diabetes. Health professionals can use the following tips for weight maintenance and dementia reduction for their clients:
• Reduce empty calories from sugary treats and salty snacks.
• Limit calorie-laden beverages such as smoothies, sports drinks, or alcohol.
• Include fish in your diet twice per week to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s.
• Add blueberries to whole grain cereal or yogurt. They have been linked with reduction in dementia risk.
• Exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Take a walk, ride a bike, play tennis!
• Reduce mindless eating while reading, watching TV, or doing other activities.
• Add more vegetables to your meals for volume, but not calories.
• Drink plenty of water. You may be quelling your thirst with food instead of water.
Reference: Dake, Manmohi D. et al. ‘Obesity and Brain Vulnerability in Normal and Abnormal Aging: A Multimodal MRI Study’. 1 Jan. 2021 : 65 – 77.
Article Adapted from Communicating Food for Health April 2021 Newsletter.
Extension Notes
• It is time to register for Mississippi Homemaker Volunteer State Council scheduled May 17- 20. The meeting will be virtual, and participants will watch the meeting together at the Extension office in Coffeeville. Please contact the Extension office to register.
• The final 4-H Art Workshop taught by Pat Rodrigue is Thursday, April 22, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Extension office. The classes are free and open to youth ages 8 to 18. Please contact the Extension office at 675-2730 for more information. Social distancing and face masks will be observed.
• Join the FCS Agents of Northeast Mississippi each Tuesday for the NE FCS Minute, an educational video series about a variety of topics. Each week an exten- sion agent posts a 60-second video. The segments are shared on your local extension Facebook page, Yalobu- sha County Extension Office.
• It’s time to register for the May 4-H Cooking Kits. The deadline to register is May 14, and the distribution date is May 20th from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Call the extension office at 675.2730 or email me at: p.redwine@msstate.edu for more information.
