A new study has found that people who go on to develop dementia often begin to lose weight and have smaller waistlines many years before they are diagnosed.
These people also tend to have higher levels of what is known as “good” cholesterol before their condition is detected.
The research was led by Dr. Zimu Wu from Monash University in Australia and published in JAMA Network Open. It used data from a large health study of older adults called the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study.
This study was originally designed to look at how aspirin affects aging, but it also gathered detailed health information about its participants.
Researchers compared two groups of older adults. One group included 1,078 people who were later diagnosed with dementia. The other group had 4,312 people who did not develop the disease. The two groups were matched for age and background so the comparison would be fair.
The results showed that people who later developed dementia had lower body weight and smaller waist size up to seven years before being diagnosed. These physical changes became even more noticeable in the ten years leading up to diagnosis.
Their body weight and waistlines shrank faster than those who did not develop dementia. This suggests that losing weight without a clear reason, even in older people who seem otherwise healthy, could be an early sign that the brain is beginning to change.
The study also found that people who later developed dementia had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often called “good” cholesterol, up to five years before their diagnosis. But these levels started to fall as the diagnosis came closer.
Other cholesterol changes were seen too. Those with dementia had slightly higher levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, and total cholesterol compared to the other group, but these differences were small and not significant.
Researchers also looked at blood pressure and fat levels in the blood. People who later developed dementia had lower systolic blood pressure and lower levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, over the ten years before diagnosis.
While high triglyceride levels are usually linked to heart problems, this study suggests that very low levels might also be connected to dementia risk.
The researchers believe that these findings could help doctors spot people who might be more likely to develop dementia. Instead of only watching for common risk factors like obesity or high cholesterol, doctors might also want to look out for unexplained weight loss and falling cholesterol levels in older adults.
Still, the study does not prove that these changes cause dementia. It’s possible that the brain changes leading to dementia also affect how the body uses energy, fat, and cholesterol.
The researchers say more studies are needed to understand why these body changes happen and whether they can be used to stop or slow down dementia. They also note that some of the people who worked on the study have links to drug companies, which should be kept in mind.
Even with its limits, the study adds to the idea that dementia is not just a disease of the brain. It may involve other parts of the body too. Watching changes in weight and cholesterol could become an important part of keeping the brain healthy as we age.
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