| 1. |
- Dahl, Anna, 1975-
(author)
-
Body mass index, cognitive ability, and dementia : prospective associations and methodological issues in late life
- 2009
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The aims of the present study were to investigate the association between overweight and cognitive ability and dementia, and to evaluate the usefulness of self-reported body mass index (BMI) in late life and various data sources commonly used in epidemiological studies to identify persons with dementia. Data were drawn from three population-based studies: the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA), Aging in Women and Men: A Longitudinal Study of Gender Differences in Health Behaviour and Health among Elderly (the Gender Study), and the Finnish Lieto Study. In Study I, the agreement between self-reported and measured BMI over time was evaluated among 774 men and women, ages 40 to 88 years at baseline (mean age 63.9) participating in both the questionnaire phase and in-person testing of SATSA. Latent growth curve (LGC) modeling showed a small but significant increase between self-reported and measured BMI (0.02 kg/m2/y) over time, which would probably not affect the results if self-reported BMI were used as a continuous variable in longitudinal research. In Study II, the agreement between dementia diagnoses from various sources and dementia diagnoses set at a consensus conference was evaluated. Among the 498 elderly people ages 70 to 81 at baseline (mean age 74.5) enrolled in the Gender Study, 87 were diagnosed with dementia during an eight-year period. Review of medical records and nurse evaluations yielded the highest sensitivity (0.83 and 0.80, respectively) and a high specificity (0.98 and 0.96), indicating that these sources might be good proxies of dementia, while data extraction from the Swedish Inpatient Discharge Registry underestimated the prevalence of dementia (sensitivity 0.26). In Study III, the association between being overweight in midlife and cognitive ability in late life was examined in SATSA. The 781 participants ages 25 to 63 at baseline (mean age 41.6) in 1963 or 1973 self-reported their height and weight. From 1986 until 2002, they were assessed five times using a cognitive test battery. LGC models showed that people with higher midlife BMI scores had significantly lower cognitive ability and a significantly steeper decline than their thinner counterparts, an association that persisted when those who developed dementia during the study period were excluded from the analysis. This finding indicates that being overweight might affect cognitive ability independently of dementia. In Study IV, the association between BMI and dementia risk in older persons was described among 605 persons without dementia and ages 65 to 92 at baseline (mean age 70.8) in the Lieto Study. Among these, 86 persons were diagnosed with dementia during eight years of follow-up. Cox regression analyses indicated that for each unit increase in BMI score, the risk of dementia decreased 8% (hazard ratio = 0.92, 95% confidence interval = 0.87–0.97) and the association remained significant when individuals who developed dementia during the first four years of follow-up were excluded from the analyses. This result suggests that low BMI scores are present almost a decade before clinical dementia onset.
|
|
| 2. |
- Dahl, Anna K., 1975-, et al.
(author)
-
Overweight and obesity in old age are not associated with greater dementia risk
- 2008
-
In: Journal of The American Geriatrics Society. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0002-8614 .- 1532-5415. ; 56:12, s. 2261-2266
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To describe the association between body mass index (BMI) and dementia risk in older persons.DESIGN: Prospective population‐based study, with 8 years of follow‐up.SETTING: The municipality of Lieto, Finland, 1990/91 and 1998/99.PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred five men and women without dementia aged 65 to 92 at baseline (mean age 70.8).MEASUREMENTS: Weight and height were measured at baseline and at the 8‐year follow‐up. Dementia was clinically assessed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria.RESULTS: Eighty‐six persons were diagnosed with dementia. Cox regression analyses, adjusted for age, sex, education, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, and alcohol use, indicated that, for each unit increase in BMI score, the risk of dementia decreased 8% (hazard ratio (HR)=0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.87–0.97). This association remained significant when individuals who developed dementia early during the first 4 years of follow‐up were excluded from the analyses (HR=0.93, 95% CI=0.86–0.99). Women with high BMI scores had a lower dementia risk (HR=0.90, 95% CI=0.84–0.96). Men with high BMI scores also tended to have a lower dementia risk, although the association did not reach significance (HR=0.95, 95% CI=0.84–1.07).CONCLUSION: Older persons with higher BMI scores have less dementia risk than their counterparts with lower BMI scores. High BMI scores in late life should not necessarily be considered to be a risk factor for dementia.
|
|
| 3. |
- Dahl, Anna, 1975-
(author)
-
Kan man undvika demens genom en sund och aktiv livsstil?
- 2008
-
In: Svensk Idrottsforskning. - 1103-4629. ; 3, s. 22-26
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- En vanlig föreställning om åldrandet är att de flesta äldre för eller senare blir glömska. Även om hög ålder är en av de största riskfaktorerna för sämre minnesfunktioner, så har merparten av den åldrande befolkningen väl fungerande minne och andra intellektuella funktioner. Faktum kvarstår dock att det finns stora individuella skillnader, en del äldre har mycket gott minne, medan andra inte minns namnen på sina barn eller ens att de har barn. Hur kommer det sig? Beror det på gener, livsstil, eller är det slumpen som avgör vem som drabbas av glömska på ålderns höst?
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Dahl, Anna, 1975-
(author)
-
Response letter to Dr. Hazzard
- 2009
-
In: Journal of The American Geriatrics Society. - : Wiley. - 0002-8614 .- 1532-5415. ; 57:7, s. 1316-1317
-
Journal article (pop. science, debate, etc.)
|
|
| 6. |
- Hassing, Linda, 1967, et al.
(author)
-
Overweight in midlife and risk of dementia: a 40-year follow-up study
- 2009
-
In: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer. ; 33:8, s. 893-898
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: This study examines whether overweight in midlife increases dementia risk later in life. Methods: In 1963 body mass index was assessed in 1152 participants of The Swedish Twin Registry, at the age of 45–65 years. These participants were later screened for dementia in a prospective study with up to 40 years follow-up. A total of 312 participants were diagnosed with dementia. Results: Logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographic factors, smoking and alcohol habits, indicated that men and women categorized as overweight in their midlife had an elevated risk of dementia (OR=1.59; 95% CI: 1.21–2.07, P=0.002), Alzheimer's disease (OR=1.71; 95% CI: 1.24–2.35, P=0.003), and vascular dementia (OR=1.55; 95% CI: 0.98–2.47, P=0.059). Further adjustments for diabetes and vascular diseases did not substantially affect the associations, except for vascular dementia (OR=1.36; 95% CI: 0.82–2.56, P=0.116), reflecting the significance of diabetes and vascular diseases in the etiology of vascular dementia. There was no significant interaction between overweight and APOE alt epsilon4 status, indicating that having both risk factors does not have a multiplicative effect with regard to dementia risk. Conclusions: This study gives further support to the notion that overweight in midlife increases later risk of dementia. The risk is increased for both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, and follows the same pattern for men and women. Keywords: BMI, alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia, overweight, obesity
|
|
