A recent study undertaken by experts in Sweden has revealed that women who have broader waists are twice as much exposed to the risk of contracting dementia later in life, after analyzing health of 1,500 female subjects.

Official figures have confirmed that in Britain, about 600,000 people are presently living with dementia and related problems, and the number will rise by an estimated two times over the coming
30 years.

Currently, every 1 person in 20 over the age of 65 has dementia.

"Anyone carrying a lot of fat round the middle is at greater risk of dying prematurely due to a heart attack or stroke. However, if they manage to live beyond 70, they run a greater risk of dementia", said Deborah Gustafson, a senior lecturer at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University, and the study's lead researcher.

For the sake of research, 1,500 women between the ages of 38 and 60 were analyzed in Gothenburg starting in the 1960s based on their health and lifestyle. A follow-up after 32 years revealed that 161 of the women who had broader hips and waist measurements developed dementia, diagnosed at an average age of 75.

"It revealed that women who were broader round the waist than the hips in middle age ran slightly more than twice the risk of developing dementia when they got old", shared the researchers.

The detailed study has been published in the science journal Neurology.