Obesity, Abdominal Obesity and Alzheimer Disease

Abstract

Background/Aims: Obesity has a strong association with vascular and metabolic diseases, which have been linked with Alzheimer disease (AD). While recent studies have reported an association between mid-life obesity and dementia, the role of later-life obesity is less clear. This study investigated the relation between AD, obesity and abdominal obesity at later-life in a case-control study. Methods: Participants were 50 consecutive patients with probable AD from memory disorders clinics in Launceston, Australia, and Bristol, England, and 75 cognitively normal controls. Height and weight [from which body mass index (BMI) was calculated] and hip and waist circumferences (from which waist-hip ratio was calculated) were measured. Participants were classified according to their BMI as: underweight (BMI <20.0 kg/m²); normal weight (BMI 20.0–24.9 kg/m²); overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m²), or obese (BMI ≧30 kg/m²). They were classified as abdominally obese if their waist-hip ratio was >0.9 (men) or >0.8 (women). Results: AD was associated with obesity [OR 9.5, 95% CI 2.4–37.3, p = 0.001], underweight (OR 5.4, CI 0.9–33.7, p = 0.07) and abdominal obesity (OR 2.5, CI 1.1–5.7, p = 0.027) using logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex and location. The inclusion of metabolic risk factors in the model increased the ORs for obesity (OR 12.6, CI 2.8–56.5, p = 0.001) and underweight (OR 7.9, CI 1.0–66.3, p = 0.056). Conclusion: AD may be associated with obesity, underweight and abdominal obesity at later life. Larger prospective studies are required to investigate this further.

Differences in the body composition and biochemistry in women grouped as normal-weight, overweight and obese according to body mass index and their relation with cardiometabolic risk

“…Recently, particular attention has focused on the presence of a longitudinal link between middle-age adiposity [32,33] and later-life obesity [34,35] and the decline in cognitive function. Thus, obesity seems responsible for further health implications beside cardiovascular disorders (CVD), and the presence of a vascular burden is recently recognised as a possible common cofactor in the development of dementia [33].…”

Abdominal Obesity Associated with Elevated Serum Butyrylcholinesterase Activity, Insulin Resistance and Reduced High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol Levels

“…Central obesity has a strong correlation with cardiovascular disease [1] and has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and type 2 diabetes [2], as well as other metabolic and vascular diseases [3]. Enzyme cholinesterase is present in all mammals and two classes have been identified as acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) and butyrylcholinesterase (non-specific, pseudocholinesterase, BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) in serum.…”

Effect of Obesity and Diabetes on Alzheimer's APP Gene Expression in Mouse Adipose Tissues

“…While the link between obesity and insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and T2DM is widely appreciated, emerging data indicate that mid-life obesity also increases risk for late-life dementia and AD [9,10,12,20,26,27,31]. Abdominal obesity, indexed as the waist-hip ratio, has also been associated with an increased risk for AD [26].…”

“…Abdominal obesity, indexed as the waist-hip ratio, has also been associated with an increased risk for AD [26]. In addition, recent studies demonstrated that plasma Aβ levels were directly related to BMI in a small group of young, non-demented individuals [1] and adipocyte APP expression levels [14].…”