Women who are consistently overweight or obese during adulthood may be at increased risk for a decrease in the volume of certain areas of their brain - according to a study from Sweden

Obesity is related to poor blood flow, high blood pressure “and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases,” Dr. Deborah Gustafson, from Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg, said in a statement. “These conditions contribute to an unhealthy vascular system, and therefore, to a higher dementia risk.”

The findings are based on a study of 290 Swedish women who were born in the early 1900s and followed throughout adulthood. About every 5 years, health, lifestyle and body composition were evaluated, along with clinical and neuro-psychiatric assessments.

In 1992, when the subjects were between 70 and 84 years of age, head CT was performed to assess any shrinkage in brain volume, according to a report in the medical journal Neurology.

The researchers found that women with losses in their temporal lobes - the areas of the brain associated with hearing as well other functions - had body mass index (BMI) measurements throughout adulthood that were 1 to 1.5 points higher than women without any loss in brain volume.

Statistical analysis confirmed that, along with age, BMI was the only factor related to temporal lobe shrinkage.

The team calculates that for every 1-point increase in BMI, the risk of losses in the temporal lobes rose by 13 percent to 15 percent.

The results suggest that Obesity is yet another factor that should be addressed to protect against diseases of advanced aging, such as dementia and brain atrophy, the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Neurology, November 23, 2004.