There are risks to being underweight, and one study found that dementia is among them.
British researchers had seen hints that heavy people might be at higher risk for dementia. They used a medical database of nearly two million people in the UK to test that hypothesis.
These folks were between 45 and 66 years old when the study began, and none had symptoms of dementia. The follow-up period averaged nine years.
By the end of that time, around 45,000 out of the 2 million had been diagnosed with dementia. The researchers found that thin people with a body mass index below 20 were 34 percent more likely than those of average weight to develop cognitive difficulties. These underweight individuals were also more likely to die during the study.
The investigators recommend extra monitoring for underweight people as they grow older, since they may be at higher risk of complications.
