The Healthy Living

Control your body shape; protect yourself from the high risk of dementia

Health experts recently revealed after several population based study that women who carry fat around their waste are at greater risk of suffering from dementia at a later stage of their life. While being obese and inactive increases the chances of premature death from a heart attack or stroke, the risk is even worsened if you have a broader waist.More than 1000 women participated in the study which included clinical measurements as well as health and lifestyle related questionnaires, both were observed over a long period of time.

Women who describe themselves as pear-shaped tend to have a fat build up in their hip area and therefore have bigger hip measurement than waist. Another proportion of women who have increased amount of fat storage in their stomach describe as apple-shaped is at greater risk according to the study. Dementia is mainly characterized by poor memory and impaired speech along with difficulties in recognition and less ability to focus. Middle aged women who have broader waists are more prone to these symptoms when they get old. Similarly, a relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and dementia has also been identified in related researches but not further discussed in this particular finding as this was not the case among the subjects participated in the study.

In the UK there is approximately 6million people living with dementia and that number is expected to increase significantly over the coming 20 years. As it is clear that body shape is directly linked to health, keeping a healthy weight and body shape reduce your risk of developing dementia and heart diseases.