OBESITY is a direct cause of dementia, say scientists.
Flab has for years been known to be a risk for brain damage but research now shows many cases of vascular might be a direct result of it.
Obesity has been found to DIRECTLY cause killer dementiaCredit: Getty
figures show three out of 10 Brits, about 15million people, are dangerously .
Vascular dementia is the second most common type after disease and affects about 180,000 people in the UK.
A study by the University of Bristol and scientists in Copenhagen found it can be caused by a high body weight.
The researchers say this is because obesity is very closely linked to high
Too much fat in the body causes it to clog up inside the arteries, which narrows the space for blood to flow through and increases internal pressure and strain on the heart.
Over time this can starve the brain of oxygen, causing vital nerve cells to die off.
Study author Dr Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, from Copenhagen University, said: “This study shows that high body weight and high blood pressure are not just warning signs, but direct causes of dementia.
“This makes them targets for prevention.”
She said weight-loss drugs like the could help to protect people by helping them slim faster and prevent health damage from fat.
Obesity is also linked to higher risk of and more than a dozen types of and scientists hope the blockbuster jabs could spark a health revolution.
The new study, in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, used data from over 500,000 people in Denmark and the UK to compare rates of vascular dementia.
It stripped out the effects of genetics and other lifestyle factors to find that being overweight directly hit dementia risk.
Dr Frikke-Schmidt added: “It remains to be tested whether weight-loss medication started before the appearance of symptoms may be protective against dementia.
“Our data suggest that early intervention would prevent vascular-related dementia.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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