HHS HealthBeat (March 02, 2006)

Fat and the boomer brain

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Here’s another reason for middle-aged people to lose weight: A study supports the idea that people who are very overweight are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers found that, with more weight, there was an increase in blood levels of proteins that form beta-amyloid plaques – substances thought to play a big role in Alzheimer’s.

The study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Researcher Sam Gandy of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia says obese baby boomers need to wise up – and slim down:

"The evidence has built over the past the five years that a number of factors – obesity being one of them – during midlife can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s later on. So the boomer generation is exactly what we are aiming at." (12 seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006