A new study has found that having fat on your belly in your 40s indicates a high risk of developing dementia such as Alzheimer later. The research, by Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., looked at data from 6,583 men and women who were ages 40 to 45 when they had checkups between 1964 and 1973. They were followed to see if they developed Alzheimer or dementia an average of 36 years later.

The data was surprising and worrying: people who had a distance of about 10 inches or more between their backs and the surface of their upper abdomens were 89 percent more likely to have dementia. It's unclear why this happens, and researchers are looking at whether it may produce or promote substances that are harmful to the brain, such as high insulin levels.

Earlier this month, a new report released by the Alzheimer’s Association said that about 14 million or nearly 18 percent of the United States’ 79 million baby boomers will likely develop Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in their lifetime. The report, 2008 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, estimates that one in eight baby boomers will likely have Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease characterized by severe memory loss and confusion.

Also, another study published this month by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle found that 42 percent of those who were at least 70 years old and had both parents suffering from Alzheimer's also had the disease.