For women who are suffering from extra weight around the middle, which may be a result of , there may be an increased risk of developing dementia later in life.
According to a new study found in Neurology, even though having excess stomach weight increases ones risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke, those who manage to live past 70 years have a greater chance of suffering from dementia.
A follow-up to a 1960s survey that asked women about their health and lifestyle choices has found that 161 women from the study developed dementia around the average age of 75.
It was found that those who had a wider waistline during their middle ages were more than twice as likely to develop dementia in their later years compared to those with wider hips.
The researchers wrote that while other studies have found that body mass index (BMI) was linked to dementia, this research could not find the connection.
“This may be because obesity and overweight were relatively unusual among the women who took part in the Prospective Population Study,” explained researcher Deborah Gustafson.