Dunno if it is true--possibly good news for the obese (NGC)

[Rich A]

There is some evidence emerging that people who are obese in midlife have a lower risk of developing dementia, and those underweight have a higher risk.:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/does-midlife-obesity-protect-against-dementia-1.2322422



Rich A

[Penderic]

Now you're living!

[drums4money]

Now i can chow down with a purpose.

[nunzio]

It's more difficult to get dementia when you've died of heart disease.

Number 1 cause of death in U.S. is heart disease.

Number 1 cause of heart disease...Obesity.. ....Just sayin'

[charlie b]

This was also from that study.

"In other words, even if there were to be protective effects on dementia from being overweight or obese, you may not live long enough to get the benefit of it."

So, if you live long enough, and are obese, you might not get dementia.  But, if you are not overweight you will probably live longer, which increases the risk of getting dementia.  Sounds logical to me.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  If you are overweight, your chances of living long enough to get dementia are less.  That is basically the facts in this study.
 As for me,  I was slightly overweight in my midlife and am demented anyway.  Why else would I now be on a weight loss effort?
 In the last two months or so, I have lost 33 pounds of fat.  By volume that is about 4 gallons of lard.  I'm still demented but I look a lot better
 now and my blood pressure averages about 118 over 65 with a pulse in the sixties.  I even had a young lady hit on me in  the gym last week.
 She is in about her mid to late thirties so I guess i am doing Okay.  I must be demented, I am selling the DR650 with Ural.

 
  Here is how to lose weight after the big chili feed

 

[Tom]

Amongst other things.  I can attest that Sasquatch is demented.  ;D

[Rich A]

I don't think anyone would advocate becoming obese to prevent dementia. But the studies do demonstrate how complicated we are and how good can be mixed with bad.

Also, whatever information can be extracted from these studies and used to combat this terrible disease is welcome, indeed.

Rich A

[krglorioso]

Thank you, Nunzio, for adding a touch of sanity to the data from the British study.  At 137# this a.m., I viewed the study's conclusion as certain proof I would never make 80 with an intact memory.  You have given me hope.  I have even removed the Post It from the 03 Stone's speedometer, "Shift on the Left side.  This isn't your Norton".

Ralph

[Moto]

It's hard to judge the study. I am able to download the journal's articles from my university, but was not able to find the cited online-only article (at least, not yet).

EDIT: I forgot to say I did find the article's freely-available abstract, here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213858715000339.

It has a big sample (over a million) and does report tracking cases until they were lost to other causes, like death from other factors. It also says that confounders (other causes) were adjusted for. Poisson regression was used, not a very sophisticated kind of analysis, but maybe okay depending on what they did exactly. It is not clear that they modeled the outcome as a "competing risks" setup, taking into account other diseases' effects on "censoring" what might have happened later with respect to dementia. Medical researchers are often not the best statisticians.

It could be a good study. I hope to get it eventually.

Meanwhile, I'll still keep trying to lose weight.

Moto

P.S. I did find a rather discouraging article in the same journal's April issue, describing the biological mechanisms that interfere with weight loss, especially if one has been in the obese category for a good period. Not encouraging reading. EDIT: "Treating obesity seriously; when recommendations for lifestyle change confront biological adaptations." C.N. Ochner, et al. The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. Vol 3, Issue 4, pp. 232-234.

Oh well.

[Rich A]

Number 1 cause of heart disease...Obesity.. ....Just sayin'

Well, that sounded good when I first read it, but the causes of heart disease appear to be more complicated than that:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/basics/causes/con-20034056 (note that "obesity" does not appear on the first page of the link; "being over weight" is mentioned once among other risk factors).


Rich A

[Cam3512]

It's more difficult to get dementia when you've died of heart disease.

Number 1 cause of death in U.S. is heart disease.

Number 1 cause of heart disease...Obesity.. ....Just sayin'

This is EXACTLY it.  You wont live long enough to get dementia.

[Penderic]

FAT is the key to living longer: Previous diet advice was WRONG, say experts
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/557220/Avoid-low-fat-products-packed-sugar-eat-natural-fat-instead

mmmm mmmmm mmmm! ;D

[Upstate Mark]

I was thinking of getting into shape when I realized "round" is a shape.

[Rich A]

FAT is the key to living longer: Previous diet advice was WRONG, say experts
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/557220/Avoid-low-fat-products-pac

Now they're saying that salt might not be so bad for you either.

Rich A

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Without any salt you will die.   There is a reason animals lick a block of salt if they have one.  If you are eating canned or processed foods you are getting enough salt maybe more than enough.
  If you eat potato chips you  get a lot.

[dee g]

Now you're living!

I miss them.  I just wish I could eat what they cooked and not end up weighing 8000 lbs. 

[charlie b]

When I was diagnosed with melanoma (another mistake by an Army doctor) I went through tons of medical journals and research papers.  What I found is that 90% of them are more useful as toilet paper.

Bad science was the primary issue.  The researchers started out with a goal in mind, then manipulated the data in order to get the results they wanted.  One in particular was on smoking and cancer.  Smeared the little mice with cigarette residue and claimed those who were 'smeared' the most got cancer more often.

Then find out it was only by a very small margin and was contradictory.  Turns out the mice used in cancer studies are bred specifically so that they will get cancer easily.  So, 100 control mice, 52% got cancer.  Of 100 mice "smeared" with 50% solution, 45% got cancer.  Mice "smeared" with 100% solution, 60% got cancer.  Conclusion?  You guessed it....smoking causes cancer.  No follow on.  Instead you could say that smoking 'sometimes' reduces the chances of cancer.

Combine this with all the variables, such as genetics, where you live, what kind of metabolism you have, etc, etc and studies like this that point out one factor are bunk.

Being obese by itself won't kill you, nor will being too thin, or being in good physical shape.  You can do everything "right" and still die from a stroke/heart attack/cancer at 40.  OTOH, you can be obese and never exercise and live past 90.