WEIGHT LOSS AND DEMENTIA

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If a senior you know and care about is starting to lose weight, it might be a warning sign of impending Alzheimer’s disease.
There are many things that weight loss in an older person can imply; but before any signs of mental incapacity, it could mean the start of dementia,” says Dr. Tharakam Ravishankar, the Medical Director of the Glen Cove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

Loss of appetite is a common problem among those with dementia, in part because they are simply confused and forget to eat.
“That can be one of the early signs of dementia. It could be simply because the appetite center is not sending the message to make the individual want to go and eat,” Dr. Ravishankar says.
Now, new research in the archives of neurology shows dementia-associated weight loss begins before the onset of any other signs of Alzheimer's, and it accelerates by the time of the diagnosis.
In a study of older men between 77 and 98 years of age, researchers found a high proportion with some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, had previously had a 10% weight loss. In come cases the weight loss preceded the onset of loss of any mental capacity by 2 to 4 years.
Researchers are now concerned with two key issues: can monitoring food intake prevent other types of physical declines, and can feeding, in fact, slow the course of the dementia itself?
“It will be a wonderful result if we determine that we can slow down the dementia by ensuring that seniors get a proper diet,” says Dr. Ravishankar.
But dietician Frank Dano says, nipping the problem in the bud is the key. “Prevention of weight loss is basically started by monitoring. It’s important that people are weighed regularly, and their weights recorded to make sure that there is no abnormal weight loss,”
The authors say poor nutrition and frailty frequently complicate later stages of dementia, causing falls, poor wound healing, and an overall increased physical dependence.
Monitoring weight can help keep track of other health complications that can cause weight loss, such as cancer and hyperactive thyroid glands.

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