Dementia is a global health issue. However, progress is being made in determining what causes brain decline. A new study in the journal Clinical Nutrition has found a link between “sarcopenic obesity” and dementia. What exactly is it, and are you at risk?
Dementia rates are expected to rise in the next decades, putting additional strain on already overburdened healthcare systems. The major goal of dementia research is to figure out what causes brain deterioration. Fortunately, this endeavor is yielding positive results.
Now, a new study in Clinical Nutrition has found a link between sarcopenic obesity and dementia in older people.
Obesity combined with a lack of muscle mass is known as sarcopenic obesity.
The body mass index (BMI) and handgrip strength of patients are used to determine if they have sarcopenic obesity.
According to a previous study, sarcopenic obesity raises the risk of cognitive impairment.
Doctor Yoshifumi Tamura of Juntendo University in Japan headed a group of academics who wanted to build on this association.
“If the association between sarcopenic obesity and dementia is established, appropriate preventive measures can be taken to reduce the occurrence of this condition and the risk of dementia in elderly patients,” Doctor Tamura said, emphasizing the significance of their research.
The researchers enrolled 1615 older Japanese participants in the Bunkyo Health Study, ranging in age from 65 to 84 years.
The Bunkyo Health Study is a prospective cohort study aimed at determining the relationship between muscle mass, muscle strength, and insulin sensitivity with a variety of disorders that require long-term care.
According to their sarcopenia and obesity status, the participants were separated into four groups: those with obesity, those with sarcopenia, those with sarcopenic obesity, and those without obesity or sarcopenia (control).
They investigated the possible connections between a number of mental processes, sarcopenia, and obese status.
Patients with a BMI greater than 25 kg/m2 were classified as obese, with a handgrip strength of less than 28 kg in males and 18 kg in women indicating sarcopenia or low muscle strength.
To determine the presence of moderate cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of cognitive decline, and dementia, researchers used two diagnostic methodologies.
MCI and dementia were confirmed with a score of fewer than 22 points on the Montreal cognitive assessment and less than 23 points on the Mini-Mental State Examination, respectively.
They discovered that 59.4 percent of the population did not have obesity or sarcopenia, 21.2 percent had obesity, 14.6 percent had sarcopenia, and 4.7 percent had sarcopenic obesity.
The people with sarcopenic obesity had the highest rate of MCI and dementia, followed by sarcopenia, obesity, and the control group.
When the researchers used multivariate analyses to look for statistically significant relationships, they discovered that sarcopenic obesity was linked to an increased prevalence of MCI and dementia when compared to people who did not have sarcopenia or obesity.
The study also showed that there is a strong link between sarcopenia and dementia in women, but not in men.
“This study clearly demonstrates that sarcopenic obesity, defined by the combination of BMI and hand grip strength, is associated with MCI and dementia among Japan’s elderly people,” added Doctor Tamura.
What are this study’s long-term effects?
The response of Doctor Tamura to this query was encouraging.
“Since we now know that there is a strong correlation between sarcopenic obesity and dementia, we may develop new treatment methods to manage the condition, thereby even reducing the prevalence of dementia.”
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