article_snippet.sent: Being underweight in mid-life could increase your risk of dementia, claim researchers.
article_snippet.sent: A new study shows you are a third more likely to be diagnosed with diseases such as Alzheimer's than those of a healthy weight.
article_snippet.sent: Obese people appear to be protected against dementia, with a risk around 30 per cent lower than those of healthy weight.
article_snippet.sent: A new study shows underweight people are a third more likely to be diagnosed with diseases such as Alzheimer's than those of a healthy weight (file photo)
article_snippet.sent: Study author, Professor Stuart Pocock, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said 'Study author, Professor Stuart Pocock, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also need to pay attention to the causes and public health consequences of the link between underweight and increased dementia risk which our research has established.' '
article_snippet.sent: However, Study author, Professor Stuart Pocock, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine results also open up an intriguing new avenue in the search for protective factors for dementia - if we can understand why people with a high BMI have a reduced risk of dementia, it's possible that further down the line, researchers might be able to use these insights to develop new treatments for dementia.'
article_snippet.sent: Researchers found people who were underweight in middle age were 34 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia than those of a healthy weight.
article_snippet.sent: As people's BMI increased, the risk of dementia fell, with very obese people having a BMI greater than 40 less likely to develop the condition than those of normal weight.
article_snippet.sent: Dr Nawab Qizilbash, from Oxon Epidemiology in London, said the reasons why high BMI might lead to a lower risk of dementia are not clear. '
article_snippet.sent: Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer's Society, said 'Previous research has suggested that being overweight in midlife increases risk of developing the condition and yet the study suggests that the study may actually be protective. '
article_snippet.sent: This mixed picture highlights the difficulty of conducting studies into the complex lifestyle risk factors for dementia and reinforces the need for further research.
highlights_snippet.sent: Underweight people are also more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimers .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Obese person is 30 per cent less likely to get dementia than healthy person .
  