Preventing brain diseases


Dementia: Will I Get It?

In the article Dementia: Just What Is It, we
have learned about a frightening term,Another downer: overweight people generally
Dementia, and just what it is or, rather, howwere 35 percent more likely to have the brain
it manifests itself in the human condition. Iillness  (or  condition).
gave 5 examples from my personal knowledge,
including  myself.According to Rachel A. Whitmer, a research
scientist at Kaiser Permanente, a non-profit
It would appear that "Dementia", in itsmedical group in Oakland, CA, "We're having
milder forms, is nothing more than a mildan epidemic of obesity that we've never seen
loss of memory. In its more severe, but stillbefore and we know it causes a wide variety
mild, forms, it can take the guise of mildof illness. And now we can add to the list.
disorientation; sometimes so mild that one isWe are going to see an unprecedented increase
not even aware of being disoriented. Thein  dementia  as  the  baby  boomers  age."
milder cases were likely referred to in olden
times as "senility". Something none of usIt's not known whether people can lower their
ever  aspired  to.risk of dementia if they lose the excess
weight, "but that's one of the implications
However, there is a new body of informationof  the  study,"  Whitmer  says.
accumulating, and now published, which
indicates that "dementia" could be the resultIn addition, two smaller studies also found
of a natural condition, and which, if true,signs of brain atrophy, or shrinkage, among
puts at least half of the North Americanwomen with a high body mass index (or BMI - a
population  "at  risk"!measure of body fat based on a ratio of
weight to height). A normal BMI is between
What is that condition? It is "obesity" and18.6  and  24.9.
it is rampant in North America, affecting at
some estimates upwards of 60% of theFinally, a recent Swedish study found a high
population. And, according to a recent studyBMI in old age is associated with an
published in the British Medical Journal, itincreased  risk  of  dementia  in  women.
is particularly harmful to people in the 40's
and up. The study tracked 10,000 men andOK, the jury is still out. Is it guaranteed
women  over  a  period  of  27  years.that just being overweight means I will get
dementia? And, is this a "disease" or is it a
US scientists found people who were obese and"condition of imbalance". Finally, in either
between the ages of 40 and 45 were 74 percase, can it be corrected and if so, how?
cent more likely to have dementia later inWill it respond to diet? Will it respond to
life compared to those of "normal" weight.aromatherapy? Will it respond only to medical
And its worse for women: women were 200 per(read that chemical") intervention?
cent more likely to have dementia if theyInteresting questions for future articles on
were  obese  in  their  40's.Dementia so stay tuned.



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