Be careful that your weight does not go up and down. According to a recent study published in the American journal “Obesity,” weight change is a risk factor for cognitive decline in people over 65, with cognitive decline being faster when a weight drop is considerable or the fluctuation exceeds 5%.
Body weight changes within a small range and associated small cognitive decline
A team consisting of researchers from Pennsylvania State University, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Karolinska Institute (Sweden) analyzed data from 2011 to 2021, the “National study on health and ageing trends” conducted in the USA in 2016 with 4000 elderly people. They took measurements of body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference. By combining the results of tests on memory, orientation function, and executive function, they created a comprehensive measure of cognitive function.
It turned out that cognitive decline was the lowest in those elderly who had the least weight fluctuation and that the group with the largest weight fluctuation had a decline of cognitive function from 2 to 4 times higher than the former. Besides, weight loss more than 5% or weight fluctuating more than 5% together with faster cognitive decline, were the only factors identified.
There are many scientific studies which prove that obesity in middle age leads to cognitive decline in old age. Moreover, there is also a “paradox of obesity” in the sector, according to which moderate obesity in older adults is linked with a certain degree of healthier cognitive trajectories. However, the latest discoveries indicate that monitoring weight changes could be very helpful in keeping a good cognitive condition. Seniors have been suggested to take a home weight measurement regularly as more accurate data can be obtained from weighing in the same pajamas after getting up, i.e., before breakfast and after the toilet. Once a continuous fluctuation or a decrease in body weight is noticed, the level of alertness should be increased.
Earlier, an Australian study published in the sub-journal of the Journal of the American Medical Association proposed that older adults who have a stable body weight live longer. According to research, weight loss is linked with conditions that increase the risk of death, such as cardiovascular disease, trauma, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, as well as other less frequent causes.
Weight fluctuations also affect blood pressure, heart and other health
Weight changes are detrimental to health. A study conducted by the team of Professor Sun Yingxian from Shengjing Hospital affiliated with China Medical University indicates that in evaluating the risk of hypertension, one should not only consider the current body mass index but also the long-term changes. It was discovered that a normal-weighted person is at a growing risk of high blood pressure over time, even if the body mass index is only slightly elevated and remains within the normal range.
Research conducted at New York University School of Medicine has demonstrated that obesity and extreme thinness can cause a significant increase in the occurrence of cardiovascular events and in the risk of death among patients with coronary heart disease. Besides, the researchers also uncovered that this change in weight was linked to the risk of onset of diabetes.
Korean researchers have conducted an analysis of data from more than 670,000 people which shows that weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels if fluctuated significantly, will increase the risk of death by 127%, heart attack by 43%, and stroke by 41%. The authors of the study point out that the following aspects: patient blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, as well as fluctuations in weight should be the focus of attention and management which may better the health of the population.
Eating-movement balance is key to maintaining a healthy weight
One of the main reasons for scientific weight loss that is proposed following a perfect balance between eating and moving, maintaining a good mood, developing a healthy lifestyle, and holding a long-term healthy weight.
On a more specific level, even more, attention should be paid mainly to diet, exercise, and living habits. Firstly, to “eating” and avoid the trap of “hunger and thinness.” To lose weight, you must eat three meals a day – breakfast is a must, dinner should be avoided, and eat regularly and quantitatively. Optimization in the diet structure should start from the table with the addition of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and high-quality protein (milk, beans, aquatic products); at the same time, pay attention to the scientific “three reductions” (reducing salt, oil, and sugar), and eat a light diet; you must also learn to read food labels (especially nutrition labels) and pick food reasonably.
The second is “movement”, and the main idea is “movement is good.” Small habits can accumulate into changes which are good for the health but the focus should be on cultivating interest in exercise and enjoying the exercise process. During exercise, fat loss and muscle gain should be done side by side and there should be the combination of aerobic and resistance. The elderly have to be very careful with muscles maintenance; at the same time, it should be moderate, emphasizing step-by-step, action within one’s ability, and perseverance to avoid sports injuries.
Finally, living habits, the habit of regularly measuring weight and waist circumference can be developed and the recording can be done by wearable devices and recording software. In daily life, the elderly should work with their families to create a family atmosphere “leading by example and supervising each other” and a demonstration effect “leading with the big and the small”; also, it has to be recognized that weight should be “managed for life”, going against the practice of expediency and extremeness, and treated as a healthy practice throughout life.
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“Dr. Rana Patir is an eminent Neurosurgeon of India with more than 30 years of experience in the field of advanced neurosurgery. Besides being a teaching faculty at AIIMS and at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and professor of Neurosurgery at Guwahati Assam. He has also been the head of the department of Neurosurgery at Max hospitals, and Sir Ganga Ram hospital New Delhi. He is known as one of the best Neurosurgeons and spinal surgeons in India, having more than 10,000 neurosurgical procedures to his credit. He specializes in Minimal Invasive Brain and Spine Surgery, Skull Base Surgery, Neurovascular Surgery, Extra Cranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery,”
