Alzheimer's Disease May Eat Away Muscles
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People with Alzheimer's disease may begin to lose weight even before they begin to show memory loss and other symptoms, according to a new report.
Dr. Jeffrey Burns of the University of Kansas School of Medicine found that people with Alzheimer's disease lost weight from their bones, organs and muscles -- known as lean mass -- as they lost brain function and volume.
The findings suggest that lean mass, as opposed to body mass index or other measures of overall weight or fat levels, may be a more sensitive measure of the changes in body composition associated with dementia.
"We observed a direct correlation between whole-brain volume (an estimate of brain atrophy) and lean mass, suggesting that brain atrophy and loss of muscle mass may co-occur," the authors of the study said.
They also found that people with Alzheimer's disease have lower levels of physical activity, which could also cause them to lose lean mass.
The study appeared in the April issue of Archives of Neurology.
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