TAU suggests a link between dementia and crash diets in aging populations

Maintaining a steady weight throughout one's middle and golden years might keep the development of senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease at bay, says new Tel Aviv University research reported by Israel21C. Prof. Uri Goldbourt of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine found that people who suffered from fluctuations in weight gain and loss were more susceptible to the devastating disorders. Looking at a data set collected from more than 10,000 Israeli men beginning in 1963, Prof. Goldbourt found that weight fluctuations can occur for other reasons. "Weight changes in mid-age could occur because of illness, trauma, or other reasons. We are talking about working Israeli men in 1963, among whom dieting was rare." But the new research might suggest that older people avoid sudden changes in their weight over time.



Prof. Goldbourt is very careful to avoid the suggestion of a definite cause-and-effect relationship between "overweight" individuals and Alzheimer's disease, Israel21C reports. The study provides only a statistical association between mid-life weight and late-life dementia, the researcher says.

To read the whole story about this potentially mind-preserving research, see the Israel21C article at: http://www.israel21c.org/health/alzheimers-and-weight-fluctuation-is-there-a-connection

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