Prevent Disease.com - Loss of Body Mass Linked to Alzheimer's



		Loss of Body Mass Linked to Alzheimer's Researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center have found that the loss of body mass over time appears to be strongly linked to older adults' risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the greater the loss, the greater the chance of a person developing the disease. The findings, published in the September 27 issue of Neurology, are the first to report an association between decline in body mass index (BMI) with the eventual onset of AD. Principal investigator Dr. Aron S. Buchman, suggests that the loss of body mass reflects disease processes that may contribute to the eventual development of AD. Nine hundred eighteen older Catholic clergy participating in the Religious Orders Study without dementia at baseline were studied. Outcome measures were the clinical diagnosis of AD and change in cognitive function. Along with Buchman, Dr. David A. Bennett, director of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center, conducted the research as part of the Religious Orders Study (ROS). More information on Alzheimer's Disease More articles on Alzheimer's Disease Abstract from the American Academy of Neurology Reference Source 140 September 27, 2005 For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".