Body mass index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height.
It is determined by dividing the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters, resulting in a value expressed in kg/m².
A recent study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has found that a noticeable drop in BMI can begin about seven years before a person is diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that often precedes dementia.
The study analyzed long-term BMI changes in 1,390 adults, with an average age of 78.4 years, of whom 76.5 percent were women.
Researchers compared the BMI trajectories of people who developed MCI with those who remained cognitively healthy. They found that individuals who developed MCI experienced a decline in BMI earlier and at a faster rate than those who stayed cognitively intact.
This trend was evident from about seven years before the diagnosis of MCI. However, the rate of BMI decline was similar in individuals with MCI regardless of whether they later developed dementia or not.
The study also included a subgroup of 358 participants who had autopsy data available. Among these individuals, a faster decline in BMI was associated with a higher presence of Alzheimer’s disease pathology or vascular pathology in the brain.
This suggests that the early drop in BMI might be linked to underlying brain diseases that contribute to cognitive decline.
The findings imply that high levels of Alzheimer’s disease or cerebral vascular disease might be connected to the decrease in BMI observed before the onset of MCI.
To further explore this relationship, future studies using brain imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET), are needed to clarify how changes in BMI relate to brain pathologies over time.
Conducted by Jie Guo and colleagues, this study was published in JAMA Psychiatry and offers valuable insights into the potential early warning signs of cognitive impairment. Understanding the link between BMI changes and cognitive health could help in developing earlier interventions for those at risk of dementia.
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