Excess Weight In Older Women Linked To Memory Loss

Filed in archive Mind Games , Weight on July 18, 2010

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Researchers have found a link between obesity among older women and poor memory. This is especially true among women who have excess weight around their hips, but not as much of a problem among women who carry it around their waists.

According to the new study, every one point increase in a woman's body mass index (BMI), her score on a standard memory test drops by one point. BMI is a measurement that takes into account height and weight.

The study included nearly 9,000 women who were enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative, a large government-sponsored study of postmenopausal women, and was released online July 14 in advance of publication in the August print issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The study illustrates the significance of keeping an ideal body weight. After taking age, level of education and vascular diseases into account, the researchers found that the association between obesity and poorer memory and brain function persisted.

More studies are needed to confirm and explain the apparent disparity between pear- and apple-shaped women. However, one possible explanation is that the type of fat that's deposited on the hips is more likely to release hormones that are detrimental to brain function.

This study adds to several others involving body shape, in which obese apple-shaped women -- but not pear-shaped women -- were found to be at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and dementia.