Poor metabolic health could increase risk of developing dementia later in life

Danial Qureshi, lead author and PhD candidate at Oxford Population Health, said ‘Our study findings suggest that early identification and management of metabolic syndrome could potentially reduce risk of developing dementia later in life. It is possible that poor metabolic health could be a consequence of how dementia affects the body. However, the researchers found that the strongest associations between poor metabolic health and dementia risk occurred in those diagnosed with the disease more than a decade later. This is promising evidence that poor metabolic health could be a key contributing factor, rather than being solely a consequence of dementia. The study, 'Association between metabolic syndrome and risk of incident dementia in UK Biobank', is published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.