Overweight children who do not do enough exercise could be increasing their risk of dementia in later life.
A University of Oxford study observed 862 children whose weight was measured from the age of seven and whose weekly physical activity levels were tracked from 11.
Their brains were scanned around the age of 20 and analysed for changes linked to dementia.
People with a higher BMI at the age of seven and who gained weight most rapidly until 17 had differences in the structure of their ‘default mode network’, which is linked to dementia in older age.
Less active children with a higher BMI tended to have differences in their entorhinal cortex, which evidence shows also plays a role in dementia.
The results suggest children’s brains may develop differently if they do not exercise enough and are overweight. This could set the stage for them to be more at risk of dementia when they are older, although more research is needed to know if this is the case.
Overweight children who do not exercise enough may increase their risk of dementia later in life (file photo)
Research suggests children’s brains may develop differently if they do not exercise, potentially setting the stage for them to be at more risk of dementia when they grow older
Holly Haines, lead author of the study published in the journal eBioMedicine, said: ‘Dementia is seen as a disease which affects older people, and people think the “critical window” for avoiding it by living healthily is in middle age.
‘But our findings suggest being healthy in childhood and teenage years is important too.
‘There is a growing awareness that our lifestyle through our whole lives, from a young age, affects what happens to us in later life, and that it is never too early to think about being healthier.’
Those studied took part in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a long-term health study of families from in and around Bristol that began in 1991.
