careful! Fat people's brains age 40% faster without them realizing it

Obesity can easily lead to metabolic syndrome, and will cause blood vessels to age prematurely and become easily blocked, thereby increasing the risk of dementia in the elderly. However, according to a survey conducted by the Catholic Dementia Foundation for the Elderly, nearly 80% of the public were unaware that obesity and overeating are risk factors, and about 40% of overweight people have no awareness of the dementia crisis. The Chinese people's awareness of dementia is at risk.

Many studies have found that people who are overweight have a 2 to 3 times higher risk of developing dementia in old age than those with normal weight.

Fat people's brains age faster and their risk of dementia doubles

The Alzheimer's Disease Foundation released the latest results of the "Dementia Awareness" online questionnaire survey, and found that among the risk factors of age and genetics, most netizens have a correct understanding. However, only 21.5% of respondents believed that obesity with a BMI value ≥ 30 will increase the risk of dementia, and 18.7% of those who overeat believed that the proportion of correct understanding was much lower than risk factors such as severe head trauma (62.7%), high stress (62.5%), or a history of depression (61.2%), and the three high diseases (48.9%).

Liu Yiqian, a neurologist at Gengshen Hospital, said that most people know that the three highs are risk factors for dementia, but they do not know that being overweight can also increase the risk of dementia. More and more studies abroad have found that people who gain weight in middle age are more prone to dementia. Compared with people with standard weight, obese people with BMI ≥ 30 have a 3-fold increased risk of dementia, and overweight people with BMI 25 ≤ BMI < 30 have a 2-fold increased risk. The brain condition of fat men and women will make them look 16 years older than those with normal weight.

The Dementia Foundation for the Elderly reminds that obesity increases the risk of dementia in the elderly and calls on the public to control their weight. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

The burden of dementia care is high, at least 500,000 yuan per year

Deng Shixiong, CEO of the Alzheimer's Foundation and a neurologist, said that there are currently about 44.4 million people with dementia in the world, and the International Alzheimer's Disease Association estimates that the number of people with dementia will increase to 135 million in 2050. Currently, dementia accounts for 5% to 6% of the elderly population in Taiwan, about 140,000 people, and is expected to exceed 600,000 people in 2050. The resulting care issues cannot be ignored. Dementia develops about 8 to 15 years after onset, and in Taiwan, care costs at least NT$500,000 per year, totaling approximately NT$4 to 9 million, which is a considerable burden on caregivers.

The otaku goddess "Ah Xi" learned about dementia because her relatives and friends suffered from dementia, and called on the public to recognize the importance of preventing dementia as early as possible. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

Stay away from dementia! Brain-boosting activities + Mediterranean diet + regular exercise

Dr. Deng Shixiong said that the best way to prevent the occurrence of dementia or slow down the progression of dementia is not only to stay away from risk factors such as obesity, the three highs and smoking, but also to protect the brain through self-health management such as regular exercise, Mediterranean diet, and leisure activities such as brain exercises and mahjong, so as to reduce the risk of dementia and reduce the related burdens of future life.

Regarding the care of dementia patients, Dr. Deng Shixiong reminded that the temperature is low in winter, and patients often have high blood pressure, lack of exercise, and brain hypoxia, which can easily induce cardiovascular and stroke diseases and cause brain injuries, leading to the worsening of dementia. It is recommended that caregivers should help patients keep their bodies warm, avoid long periods of bed rest, and encourage them to do more light exercise or rhythmic exercises at home to protect joint and muscle health and promote cardiovascular health and cardiopulmonary function.

In order to let more people understand dementia, the Dementia Elderly Foundation has also developed a "Health Diary" APP for young people. The content includes functions such as dementia self-screening, exercise and fitness, and taking photos to calculate calorie. It is expected to be officially available for download next year.