Diabetes Health in the News : Dementia in Older Women May Be Tied to Weight Loss

A new study has found that for older women, the rate of weight loss over a period of 20 years is connected with the development of dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

This research was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, Oregon. It used a cohort study of nearly 1,300 older, community-dwelling women. Over 20 years, the participants went through body weight measurements repeatedly.

For women with greater rates of weight loss over a period of 20 years, the chance of dementia increased. Each decrease of 0.5 kg per year results in a 30% increased odds of dementia or mild cognitive impairment.

These findings were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on December 19, 2016.