Heart Disease a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's

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Hendrie remained cautious about the scientific impact of Deschaintre's study, however. He said results from a clinical epidemiological study, such as the Lille research, aren't as conclusive or compelling as those from randomized, controlled clinical trials.

Two other studies scheduled for release at the Alzheimer's conference on Sunday also emphasized the role of the brain-body connection in cognitive impairment and dementia.

Weight loss may signal the onset of Alzheimer's, and the rate of weight loss could be early warning of dementia severity, according to a new review of data from what's known as the Nun's Study. That effort followed health outcomes for a group of 537 non-demented Catholic sisters, aged 75 to 102, for 10 years.

In the study, a team led by Dr. James Mortimer, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of South Florida, Tampa, found that unexplained weight loss late in life was often linked to Alzheimer's neuropathology in the brain and not to any change in eating habits linked to Alzheimer's.

Mortimer explained that, "early weight loss appears to result from the Alzheimer's disease process itself before that process leads to dementia. That's why it is a marker of impending dementia."

In a third study, a team from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found an increased risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia among 70- to 89-year-olds who have had a carotid endarterectomy (surgical clearance of the carotid artery, which brings blood to the brain) or a stroke or "mini-stroke," also known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA).

In the study, the team compared the medical histories of 295 people with MCI and 590 age and sex-matched controls. "Elderly subjects who have had a carotid endarterectomy or stroke or TIA are about two times more likely to have MCI," lead researcher Dr. Rosebud O. Roberts, a Mayo epidemiologist, said in a prepared statement.

More information

For more on Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.