How overweight children who do not do enough exercise could have a higher dementia risk

Overweight children who do not exercise enough can increase the risk of dementia later in life.

A study from the University of Oxford observed 862 children whose weight was measured from the age of seven and whose weekly physical activity levels were recorded from the age of 11.

Their brains were scanned around age 20 and analyzed for changes associated with dementia.

People with a higher BMI at age seven and who gained weight the fastest until age 17 had differences in the structure of their ‘default mode network’, which is linked to dementia in old age.

Less active children with higher BMI tended to have differences in their entorhinal cortex, which evidence shows also plays a role in dementia.

The results suggest that children’s brains may develop differently if they do not get enough exercise and are overweight. This could put them at greater risk of dementia when they are older, although more research is needed to know if this is the case.

Research suggests that children’s brains may develop differently if they don’t exercise, potentially putting them at greater risk of dementia as they get older

Holly Haines, lead author of the study published in the journal eBioMedicine, said: ‘Dementia is seen as a disease that affects older people, and people think the ‘critical window’ to avoid it by living healthily is in middle age.

‘But our findings suggest that being healthy in childhood and teenage years is also important.

‘There is a growing realization that our lifestyle throughout our lives, from a young age, influences what happens to us later in life, and it is never too early to start thinking about becoming healthier.’

Those studied took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a long-term health survey of families in and around Bristol that began in 1991.