Obesity in adults increases the risk of developing dementia by 300%

Dr. Andri Kider, Head of Geriatric Surgery, Beilinson Hospital: "This study emphasizes the importance of treating obesity in older people as well. It can be assumed that the brain damage also depends on the duration of the exposure to the obesity disease"

Another disease is added to the co-morbidity that endangers the lives of those suffering from obesity: adults suffering from obesity have a 300% (4 times) higher risk of developing dementia than people of normal weight. This is according to a study published in the May issue of Neurology magazine. In the study, carried out in Sweden, 8534 pairs of twins over the age of 65 participated. 350 of them were diagnosed with Alzheimer's or vascular dementia, and another 114 with suspected dementia. The data was cross-referenced with the age and weight of the subjects. The researchers found that middle-aged people who are obese have a 71% higher risk of developing dementia than people of normal weight.

Researchers estimate that treating obesity and preventing it from a young age may have a significant effect in reducing the rates of dementia and Alzheimer's patients.

In Israel, the most common dementing disease is Alzheimer's (about 100,000 patients with the disease). Dementia affects more than 6% of the elderly aged 65 and over
from 50% of those aged 85 and over.

"There are currently 1.6 billion adults living in the world who are defined, according to medical criteria, as overweight or obese. In the US and Europe, over 50% of adults are included in this category," says the study's editor, Weili Xu, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, "the results of the study emphasize the importance of reducing weight and maintaining a healthy weight in reducing the risk of developing dementia."

The term 'dementia' describes a group of diseases that affect brain function and are manifested in memory loss, behavioral changes and communication problems. Dementia is a progressive disease, whose symptoms gradually worsen over time. In advanced stages of the disease, the patient will have difficulty performing daily activities and develops complete dependence on caregivers.

Dr. Andri Kider, head of bariatric surgery, Beilinson Hospital explains: "This study unequivocally links dementia to obesity. The possible connection lies in the morbid mechanisms of obesity. We know that obesity is a disease accompanied by a disturbance in sugar metabolism, and sugar is the primary 'fuel' of the brain tissue. It is possible that this disorder contributes to the increase in the rate of dementia, in addition to the damage caused by diabetes in the cerebral blood vessels, which also causes a reduction in blood supply to the brain."

"This study emphasizes the importance of treating obesity in older people as well, because it is likely that the brain damage also depends on the duration of exposure to the obesity disease. The treatment of dementia diseases is a heavy burden on the health care system, the increase in life expectancy along with the increase in obesity rates may lead to a significant increase in the number of people suffering from the disease", emphasizes Dr. Kider.

Israel 2011 - a recent report on the dimensions of the obesity epidemic
Recent data published by the Ministry of Health shows that 44.6% of Israeli men and 31.7% of women are overweight and obese. Among the youth, 20% of the boys and 16.7% of the girls. In the Arab sector the situation is much worse - close to 50% of men and about a third of women suffer from overweight and obesity.

The Ministry of Health and the Central Bureau of Statistics estimate that every year thousands of Israelis die from diseases that originate from an unhealthy lifestyle: 3527 from obesity, 3126 from lack of physical activity and 5571 fromdiet Poor.
Recently, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Roni Gemzo, allocated NIS 26 million to promote a healthy lifestyle, among other things, to improve nutrition in the Israeli population.

Diets, physical activity, surgeries to treat obesity and other measures are offered to patients who wish to lose weight and avoid a series of diseases, a poor quality of life and a shortened lifespan. In recent years in Israel, a dramatic increase in the number of surgeries to treat obesity has been evident: in 2006, the number of surgeries was about 1500, while in the last year, over 5000 surgeries were performed in Israel. In Israel, there are 4 surgeries, which are customized for each and every patient. The surgeries are financed by the Ministry of Health for the appropriate patients.

Recently, two international medical associations - the American Heart Association and the International Diabetes Association - published position papers in favor of surgical treatment. The position papers were published after research and medical teams examined a long series of studies that proved the effectiveness of the surgeries to treat conditions Obesity, in reducing weight, recovering from related diseases and prolonging life.