My name is Bob DeMarco, I am an Alzheimer's Caregiver. My mother Dorothy lived with Alzheimer's Disease. We lived our lives one day at a time. IAAAC is a companion site of the Alzheimer's Reading Room.

Big belly in middle age triples risk of dementia

My mother has visceral fat. At her age it could be life threatening. There is no doubt this is a contributing factor to her Alzheimer's. She is exercising but at the age of 91, and after many years of bad eating habits, it is very difficult to get her to lose weight.

Having a large belly in middle age nearly triples the risk of developing dementia, a study released Wednesday found

Researchers measured the abdominal fat of 6,583 people age 40 to 45 in northern California and some 36 years later 16 percent had developed dementia, the study published in the journal Neurology found.

Those who were overweight or obese but did not have a pot belly had an 80 percent increase in the risk of dementia compared to people with a normal body weight and abdominal fat level.

The risk increase jumped to 230 percent among overweight people with a large belly and 360 percent among the obese with large abdomens.

"Where one carries the weight -- especially in midlife -- appears to be an important predictor for dementia risk," Whitmer said.

"These findings imply that the dangerous effects of abdominal obesity on the brain may start long before the signs of dementia appear."