Memory Loss and Metabolic Syndrome

Memory loss is common as we age. As a middle ager, I continually bemoan the fact that my cognitive abilities are not what they used to be as a result of my aging. However, a condition called metabolic syndrome, a health condition that presents itself with symptoms like increased waistline and abdominal fat, and an array of other symptoms that have been found to be a factor in metabolic syndrome have been found to make significant contributions to memory loss. In fact in the August 2011 issue of Life Extension, a recent online Neurology issue, a medical journal from the American Academy of Neurology published this information from a recently completed study correlating memory loss and metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic Syndrome

When you take a look at the symptoms that accompany metabolic syndrome, it's not too hard to see why memory loss would come into play as a related symptom of this condition. Some of the symptoms include things like high blood sugar along with a lower level of high density lipoprotein, or HDL. Other symptoms involve high blood pressure, an over abundance of abdominal fat, as well as higher than normal triglyceride levels, fat substances that circulate throughout the bloodstream.

Metabolic syndrome's symptoms are similar to those that are related to heart disease and often those starting out with metabolic syndrome later go on to have heart disease and all of the complications that go with it. These symptoms seem to

Results of the Study

Three different cities from France were selected for the 87 people who were 65 and older that participated in this study. The study involved memory and cognitive testing over a span of two to four year periods, that included things like standard memory testing, a visual working memory test as well as word fluency.

Of those diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, results of this study showed that 20% of the participants were more likely to have a cognitive decline on memory testing than those without metabolic syndrome.

My Own Experience with Metabolic Syndrome

As someone with a loved one, namely my husband with metabolic syndrome, I can confirm the tendency for metabolic syndrome to progress forward into heart disease if lifestyle and diet changes are not taken seriously. Heart disease will progress to plaque build up on the circulatory system, and not only will that result in all the heart disease related issues that are prevalent like heart attacks and more. Both heart disease and the metabolic syndrome condition that leads to it also may result in compromised brain function and is often times talked about in Alzheimer disease circles as a contributor to this problem.

Source: Life Extension Magazine August 2011