Gladys doesn’t realize who she is or that her hair’s gone gray.
She’ll pet a cat tenderly and attempt to kick her own grandson if
she doesn’t get to play with his toys.
Gladys doesn’t realize who she is or that her hair’s gone gray. She’ll pet a cat tenderly and attempt to kick her own grandson if she doesn’t get to play with his toys.
Most days she sleeps a lot, awakened in the night by the short-circuited wiring of her brain to fold and re-fold clothing, dismantle the thermostat or test the lock that holds her in the house and attempts to keep her from wandering away into the night.
She doesn’t understand bodily function anymore, so she wears a diaper and has to have someone spoon yogurt into her mouth.
Gladys is my grandmother and, according to her doctor, she suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
Dementia, an umbrella term for progressive brain dysfunctions that lead to loss of memory and sometimes irrational behavior, rob their sufferers of the most basic unit of humanity: Their identity.
New research suggests that mid-life obesity could be a major factor in the development of dementia later on, increasing likelihood of developing the condition 74 percent in those who were obese at ages 40 or 45 and 35 percent for those who were overweight during that time period, according to the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
The 27-year longitudinal study of 10,276 Kaiser members found that high body mass indexes and high skin-fold thickness in the upper back and arm were most strongly associated with the disease. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes in mid to late life were not found to be contributors to the disease’s development.
“This is important because obesity is a modifiable risk factor,” said Rachel Whitmer, a Kaiser research scientist and lead investigator on the project in a statement released Thursday. “Our findings imply that weight loss in middle age may have positive effects at the end of your life span, as well.”
The study showed women to be far more affected by the presence of obesity than men. Women who were obese (body mass index of 30 or more) were 200 times more likely to develop dementia versus just 30 percent of men in the same category. High skin-fold measurements also resulted in a 60 to 70 percent increase in risk for both men and women.
Obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or more, while the BMI for someone who is overweight falls in the 25 to 29.9 range and normal indexes rest between 18.6 and 24.9.
Dementia currently affects five million Americans and, as baby boomers progress into their later years, the number of sufferers will explode. By 2020, the number of sufferers is expected to reach 10 million to 15 million, according to the National Institutes of Health.
To maximize your chances of avoiding dementia, it may be time to shed some pounds, but if you’re well beyond middle age, there are still things you can do to help your brain stay active and healthy.
New research from Johns Hopkins University found that adults who stay active in a variety of physical activities later in life – everything from mowing the lawn to dancing, gardening, bowling and swimming – were less likely to develop dementia than their inactive peers.
If you suspect a loved one is experiencing memory issues, schedule a physician’s appointment right away. New medications can significantly slow the pace of memory loss and help to prolong the precious years you have left together.
Until then, maybe I’ll run into you at the gym.
