DorlandHealth

A group of studies conducted around the country shows that three conditions often related — obesity, diabetes and heart disease — can raise the risk of dementia and cognitive decline in elders. The first study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, observed nearly 5,000 women who began the study at the average age of 66 with no cognitive impairment. Researchers reported that obesity, high blood pressure and low levels of HDL, or “good,” cholesterol were each associated with a 23 percent increase in risk for dementia. A second study conducted by the same group found a correlation between obesity in men and cognitive decline. A third study conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center found that people with higher levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol and diabetes experienced a faster cognitive decline than their peers without those factors. The takeaway, according to researchers, is the potential impact of lifestyle changes in one’s 40s or 50s on later functioning.