Short limbs are related to the risk of dementia

According to a study published in the American Academy of Neuroscience's medical journal in June 2008, people with shorter limbs had a higher risk of dementia at an older age than those with hands. leggy. Researchers say the link between short limbs and the risk of dementia may be due to malnutrition as a child, which may affect the development of limbs.

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Many studies have shown that a young environment plays an important role in being susceptible to chronic diseases in old age. Dr. Tina L. Huang - collaborated with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD at the beginning of the study - said: 'Body evaluation criteria such as the height of the knee and arm span are often used. as biological indicators of childhood deficiencies, such as lack of nutrients'.

Huang is currently collaborating with Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University in Boston, MA."Because the development of the brain region is most affected by Alzheimer's disease coinciding with the largest variation in the length of the limbs, we think that it is very likely that men and women have shorter limbs that are more dangerous. Muscles develop dementia and Alzheimer's higher. '

Researchers participating in cardiovascular health awareness studies followed 2,798 people at an average age of 5 years and took measurements of knee length and arm span. Most participants are white, average 27 years old. By the end of the study, 480 people developed dementia.

Researchers found that women with the shortest arm span could be 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's than women with longer arm strokes. Women's legs are longer than 1 inch, the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's is reduced to 16%. In men, only arm strokes are associated with a lower risk of dementia. With every 1 inch increase in arm span, the risk of dementia in his mind dropped to 6%.

For Alzheimer's disease, the association with evaluation criteria in men and women is more stringent than other dementia. Huang said there is a strong correlation between height and social economy, and directions are brought in from the first two years of life.

Huang said: 'The height decreased due to age or whistle was considered to be the most closely related to the condition and quality of childhood diet, which corresponds to periods of growth. fastest foot. Therefore, living conditions in the early years of life may play an important role in determining the risk of losing mind later. '

Huang said: 'Our findings are compatible with other studies conducted on Koreans, where shorter lengths of the genus are associated with a higher risk of mental illness. . "

The study is supported by grants from the National Aging Research Institute, the National Heart, Lung and Heart Research Institute and the National Institutes of Health.