Washington-If you have a big tummy in middle age it may greatly increase your risk of developing forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease after few decades,scientists reported on Wednesday.

The researchers followed around 6,583 individuals in northern California for about 36 years in an average,starting when their ages ranged from 40 to 45.The researchers measured the belly size of the persons at the beginning of the study.

A sum of around 1,049 of the people which is close to 16 % of the total participants had developed Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia as they attained their 70s. Individuals in the top 20% with respect to abdomen size in 40s were about 3 times more probable to develop dementia when compared to individuals in the bottom 20 % of tummy size,the researchers found out.

Scientists have been toiling to find out the risk factors and causes of Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common kind of dementia among elderly people.

Abdomen size during 40’s was a better indicator of developing dementia afterward, than considering only obesity as given by the body mass index of a person,the researchers added.

“It is not merely weight, it is the place where you have your weight,which is an extremely significant risk factor,” said Rachel Whitmer, who led the study,that was published in the journal Neurology.

“In the case of 2 people who are both around 4.5kgs heavier than normal weight,with one of them carrying the weight around the hips and the other person carrying it around the middle,the later needs to understand that he is at greater risk,” said Whitmer, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, in a telephone interview.

Earlier research has found out that possessing a large belly in middle age increases a person’s risk for heart disease,stroke and diabetes.But this study is the first to link abdomen fat in middle age to elevated risk of dementia.

According to the study having a big belly elevated a person’s risk of dementia irrespective of whether he was of normal weight,overweight or obese and irrespective of health problems like that of cardiovascular disease,stroke and diabetes.

Further research is required in order to find out the basic mechanisms connecting belly size to dementia risk, Whitmer said.

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