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Accelerated weight loss may precede diagnosis in Alzheimer disease
Johnson DK, Wilkins CH, Morris JC.. Archives of neurology, 2006-09-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Objectives To determine the association of weight loss and the onset of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and to characterize the rate of weight change over time in older adults (aged 65-95 years) who develop DAT vs those who remain without dementia. Design Rates of weight change were investigated in older adult research participants (N = 449) who were enrolled as control subjects without dementia and followed up longitudinally (6 years on average) at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine. Some individuals (n = 125) eventually developed DAT; the others (n = 324) remained without dementia. Body weight was measured at each annual assessment. Piecewise linear regression and random effects models were used to test longitudinal rates of weight change between the groups. Results Participants without dementia lost about 0.6 lb per year. For those individuals who developed DAT, about 1 year before the detection of DAT, the rate of weight loss doubled (1.2 lb per year). As a group, participants who eventually developed DAT weighed less (about 8 pounds) at study enrollment (ie, when they did not have dementia) than participants who remained without dementia. Conclusions Aging with and without DAT is associated with weight loss; however, weight loss may accelerate before the diagnosis of DAT. Specific factors contributing to weight loss are unknown, but these data suggest they operate before the development of DAT. Hence, weight loss may be a preclinical indicator of Alzheimer disease.
Key findings
- Results Participants without dementia lost about 0.6 lb per year.
- Conclusions Aging with and without DAT is associated with weight loss; however, weight loss may accelerate before the diagnosis of DAT.
Why it matters
Among 449 older adults, those who developed Alzheimer's disease weighed about 8 pounds less at enrollment and their weight loss doubled about 1 year before diagnosis. This describes a change that may precede diagnosis and gives no information on treating, curing or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designlongitudinal study
- Participants449
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 62/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a longitudinal study following the same people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Neurology: journal h-index 353 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A longitudinal study following the same people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 449 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 339 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.4 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 8.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 17 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 39 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author John C. Morris: h-index 209 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 16966511) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 62 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Johnson, D. K., Wilkins, C. H., & Morris, J. C. (2006). Accelerated weight loss may precede diagnosis in Alzheimer disease. Archives of neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.63.9.1312
Vancouver
Johnson DK, Wilkins CH, Morris JC. Accelerated weight loss may precede diagnosis in Alzheimer disease. Archives of neurology. 2006. doi:10.1001/archneur.63.9.1312. PMID: 16966511.
BibTeX
@article{johnson2006-16966511,
author = {Johnson, D. K. and Wilkins, C. H. and Morris, J. C.},
title = {{Accelerated weight loss may precede diagnosis in Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Archives of neurology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1001/archneur.63.9.1312},
pmid = {16966511},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archneur.63.9.1312}
}
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