Abstract

SILVA, Maria Janaina Bernarda da; PALORO, Marcela  and  HAMASAKI, Mike Yoshio. Nutritional Status and Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Acta Port Nutr [online]. 2016, n.4, pp.24-27. ISSN 2183-5985.  https://doi.org/10.21011/apn.2015.0405.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deposits of extracellular amyloid-beta peptides and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. In symptomalogical terms, alterations of cognitive functions are the most frequently encountered conditions in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia being the main one. Amongst the diverse risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, age is widely recognized as the principal one. According to the American, Brazilian, British and Canadian Alzheimer’s associations, environmental factors of risk, associated with lifestyle, are equally important for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. These above-mentioned Alzheimer’s associations and several scientific articles suggest that obesity is among the factors associated with lifestyle that may increase the incidence of this disease. Nonetheless, a recently published study points to conflicting results as to the true role of obesity in promoting it. Taking into account the clash of opinions present in scientific literature on the influence of obesity and malnutrition on the genesis of dementia, this scientific paper aims to speculatively investigate physiopathological aspects which confirm whether obesity or malnutrition may or may not be considered risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords : Malnutrition; Alzheimer’s disease; Inflammation; Obesity; Oxidative stress.

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