Weight may affect female risk.

2003 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study has found that overweight women may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer - the latest report to link the disease to vascular factors such as hypertension and diabetes.

Researchers found "a striking relationship" between being overweight at age 70 and developing the mind-robbing dementia 10-18 years later.

"What it means is that overweight and obesity continue to be a public health problem" and that as women age it's "still something that women need to be concerned about in relationship to their health risks," lead author Deborah Gustafson said.

The researchers said their report supports others that suggest vascular factors play a role in the cause of Alzheimer. But the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association cautioned that more research needs to be done.

"These studies often give us clues for areas to look at, but they are not by themselves conclusive evidence that these are the true relationships," said Zaven Khachaturian, a senior science adviser with the association.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at the relationship between dementia and body mass index. It included 392 Swedish women and men who were followed from age 70 to 88 as ...