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Being underweight may be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Scientists from the University of Kansas Alzheimer's Disease Center (Kansas City, USA) conducted a study on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and Alzheimer's disease.
Study leader Jeffrey M. Burns used advanced brain imaging techniques and cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 506 people to identify biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease that can be detected years before symptoms of the disease begin.
A biomarker is a biochemical feature that is used to assess disease progression - it can also be used to assess the effectiveness of treatment.
In the study, the researchers found that people who showed biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease tended to have lower BMIs than those without biomarkers, including participants with no recognition problems or mild cognitive impairment.
Of the participants with mild cognitive impairment whose BMI was below 25, 85 percent had beta-amyloid plaques in their brains, a sign of developing Alzheimer's disease. However, only 48 percent of people with mild cognitive impairment who were overweight had beta-amyloid plaques in their brains. The same differences were found among participants without thinking or memory problems.
Dr Burns said: "These findings suggest that brain changes in Alzheimer's disease are linked to systemic metabolic changes early in the disease due to damage to the hypothalamus, which plays a role in regulating energy metabolism and food intake."
Further research should answer the question of whether this association reflects a systemic response to the disease or is a trait that predisposes a person to developing the disease.
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease, also known as senile dementia, is a progressive neurological disorder of the brain that results in the irreversible loss of neurons and intellectual abilities, including thinking and memory. The deterioration eventually becomes severe enough to completely undermine a person's social and professional functioning.
As the disease progresses, plaques and tangles develop in the brain structure, causing brain cells to die. Alzheimer's patients have insufficient levels of certain neurotransmitters, vital chemicals that are involved in sending messages between neurons in the brain.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. It gets worse over time, so it is called a progressive disease. There is currently no effective treatment for this disease. There are ways to slow its progression and treat some of the symptoms. Alzheimer's disease is an incurable disease that leads to death.
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