NEW YORK: Losing weight in middle age could be a sign that dementia is on the way, a new study suggests.
Scientists found that people who shed pounds between midlife and their 70s were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) which causes memory and thinking problems.
MCI is an early stage of dementia, and about give to 15 per cent of people progress to the disease each year.
A study by the Mayo Clinic in the US found that people who lost more than 11 lbs per decade, over a four year period were 24 per cent more likely to develop the condition. Normally around one quarter of people would be diagnosed with MCI during that time, but weight loss raised the chance to one in three.
Lead researcher Dr Rosebud Roberts said: “Our findings suggest that an increasing rate of weight loss from midlife to late life is a marker for MCI and may help identify persons at increased risk of MCI.”