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40/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 40 out of 100. Brain scans and imaging

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Plain-language summary

Over a median follow-up of 3.26 years, 321 participants converted to AD. Baseline BMI showed a nonlinear association with conversion risk with a transition at 26.42 kg/m²; high BMI was associated with lower risk (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56-0.88). Landmark BMI/weight change was not associated with subsequent conversion, and excluding early converters yielded similar estimates. Converters in both BMI strata showed distributed atrophy within the AD-vulnerable network; low-BMI converters exhibited more extensive baseline atrophy. Amyloid status strongly predicted conversion, with no evidence of effect modification of the BMI-group association. Baseline BMI captures prognostic heterogeneity in MCI and is accompanied by differential baseline neurodegeneration. Short-term weight change and amyloid status did not materially refine the BMI-group association. The transition point warrants external validation.

What this study adds

Evidence grade: Low

The record lists 762 participants. In people with mild cognitive impairment followed for a median of 3.26 years, baseline body mass index showed a nonlinear link to developing Alzheimer's disease, with higher BMI associated with lower risk above a transition point of 26.42 kg/m². Reported effect size: HR 0.70.

Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.

Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris

APA 7th

Xu, X., Yu, J., Zhao, R., Chu, H., Hou, Y., Li, Z., et al. (2026). Late-life body mass index and Alzheimer disease conversion in mild cognitive impairment: Nonlinear risk and structural MRI correlates. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2026.106217

Vancouver

Xu X, Yu J, Zhao R, Chu H, Hou Y, Li Z, et al. Late-life body mass index and Alzheimer disease conversion in mild cognitive impairment: Nonlinear risk and structural MRI correlates. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.archger.2026.106217. PMID: 41856052.

BibTeX

@article{xu2026-41856052,
  author  = {Xu, Xiyuan and Yu, Jie and Zhao, Runzhi and Chu, Huaqing and Hou, Yu and Li, Zhichao and Li, Shuai and Hou, Qi and others},
  title   = {{Late-life body mass index and Alzheimer disease conversion in mild cognitive impairment: Nonlinear risk and structural MRI correlates}},
  journal = {Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1016/j.archger.2026.106217},
  pmid    = {41856052},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2026.106217}
}

Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

How to read this study

Design: our record does not state a study design, so check the methods section of the original before weighing the result.
Size: the record lists 762 participants. Ask whether that is enough for the question, and who they were.
Effect: the record reports “HR 0.70”. A statistically significant result can still be small in daily life.

What the evidence grade means here

This page is graded low. alzhub.org assigns the grade automatically from keywords in the abstract, not from reading the paper. Low means the abstract matched neither pattern. It is the default label, and it does not mean the work is poor; many sound lab and imaging papers land here. It can add at most 5 of the 100 points in the study score, and it is a label about design, not a verdict on whether the findings are true.

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Key findings

Over a median follow-up of 3.26 years, 321 participants converted to AD.
Baseline BMI showed a nonlinear association with conversion risk with a transition at 26.42 kg/m²; high BMI was associated with lower risk (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56-0.88).
Landmark BMI/weight change was not associated with subsequent conversion, and excluding early converters yielded similar estimates.
Converters in both BMI strata showed distributed atrophy within the AD-vulnerable network; low-BMI converters exhibited more extensive baseline atrophy.
Amyloid status strongly predicted conversion, with no evidence of effect modification of the BMI-group association.

Why it matters

In people with mild cognitive impairment followed for a median of 3.26 years, baseline body mass index showed a nonlinear link to developing Alzheimer's disease, with higher BMI associated with lower risk above a transition point of 26.42 kg/m². Short-term weight change was not associated with later conversion, and the authors say the transition point needs validation in other groups.

New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Brain scans & tests →

Study details

Participants762
Effect sizeHR 0.70
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 40/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 40 out of 100.

Component	Points	Why
Journal tier	7 / 10	Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics)
Journal's citation record	1 / 4	Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics: journal h-index 132 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29)
Study design	0 / 12	No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Strength of evidence	1 / 5	Rated “low” in our summary
Peer-review validation	10 / 10	Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal.
How recent	5 / 5	2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	2 / 4	762 participants
Effect reported	3 / 3	Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomized / blinded	0 / 2	No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	0 / 7	Cited 0 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	0 / 5	0.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026
Impact for its field and year	0 / 6	Cited 0.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	0 / 6	No other study in this library cites it
Still being cited	0 / 4	Cited 0 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	— / 4	OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Hui Zheng holds only 4 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score
Institution's track record	1 / 3	Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: institution h-index 950 (OpenAlex)
Multicenter collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41856052)
Free to read	2 / 2	Free to read
Points	38 / 96	Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 40 out of 100.
Total	40 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).

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