"Gaining Weight Raises Dementia Risk"... Hypertension a Major Risk Factor [Health Issue]

According to The Financial News, a new study has found that people with obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI) may face an increased risk of dementia.
On the 23rd, Yonhap News reported that a research team led by Ruth Frikke-Schmidt at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark analyzed the relationship between BMI and dementia risk in more than 500,000 residents of Copenhagen and citizens of the United Kingdom.
Using data from 126,655 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study and 377,755 participants in the UK Biobank, the team examined whether elevated BMI is a causal risk factor for vascular dementia and whether its impact is mediated by conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.
To identify a direct causal link between BMI and dementia, the researchers applied Mendelian randomization. In this type of study, they use genetic variants associated with higher BMI to assess how increased BMI affects dementia risk.
They found that individuals with higher BMI had a greater risk of developing dementia, and that obesity-related hypertension may act as a major risk factor in this process.
Combining the two cohorts, the analysis showed that for every one standard deviation (SD) increase in BMI, the risk of vascular dementia rose by about 1.63 times. When the researchers used alternative analytical methods, a one-SD increase in BMI was still associated with roughly a 1.54- to 1.98-fold higher risk of vascular dementia. Even after including more genetic variants, the direction of the association remained consistent: higher BMI was linked to greater vascular dementia risk.
The team stated, "We estimate that 18% of the genetic effect by which BMI increases vascular dementia risk is mediated through systolic blood pressure, and 25% is mediated through diastolic blood pressure."
Ruth Frikke-Schmidt explained, "This study shows that high BMI and hypertension are direct causes of dementia," adding, "This suggests that preventing or treating obesity and high blood pressure may help reduce the risk of dementia."
The findings of this study can be found in the international journal The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
newssu@fnnews.com Kim Soo-yeon Reporter