A systematic review and meta-analysis conducted by Mario Sierravo from Curtin University, together with colleagues from five different countries, established that age-related muscle atrophy, known as sarcopenia, is associated with an increased risk of developing any type of dementia.
Furthermore, the authors found that the relationship between obesity and dementia risk depends on the person's age.
To conduct the study, a search was carried out in databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, and PsycINFO, covering the period up to February 2026. Eighty-three cohort studies were included in the analysis: 14 related to sarcopenia, 72 to obesity, and four examined sarcopenic obesity (in some cases, more than one condition was analyzed).
The calculation of pooled risks was performed using random-effects models. The results of this study were officially published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.