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Body mass index and incidence of dementia

The PAQUID study

From the Service de Médecine Interne et de Gérontologie Clinique (Dr. Nourhashémi), CHU Purpan-Casselardit, Toulouse; and INSERM 330 (Drs. Deschamps, Letenneur, Dartigues, and Barberger-Gateau, and S. Larrieu), Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. F. Nourhashémi, Service de Medécine Interne et de Gérontologie Clinique, CHU Purpan-Casselardit, chemin de Casselardit, 31000 Toulouse, France; e-mail: Fatinour{at}aol.com

To study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk of dementia, a cohort of 3,646 individuals aged 65 years living at home and without cognitive disorders at baseline were followed up for 8 years (the PAQUID [Personnes Agées Quid] Study). Subjects with a BMI < 21 had an increased risk of developing dementia as compared with subjects whose BMI was between 23 and 26 (odds ratio = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.08 to 2.04). However, when individuals who developed dementia early during the follow-up were excluded from the analysis, this relationship was no longer significant. A low BMI does not in itself seem to be a risk factor for dementia.