Hi Dr. Mancini,

At present I'm finishing a book about how cancer has changed society.  Part of that change has to do with cancer survivors and recognition of a problem that is the result of chemotherapy called, "chemo brain."  This is a cognitive disorder that chemotherapy patients can develop and can be detected 20 years after their treatment.  Apparently, chemotherapy induces an inflammatory response through the death of cancer cells.  The products of that inflammation (TNF-A and IL-1B) can cross the blood-brain-barrier and cause neuroinflammation and the destruction of neuronal cells as well as the inhibition of neuroprogenetor cell creation  via microglia cell inhibition.  In addition, I'm sure you are aware of the fact that the low level inflammation of obesity can cause cancer.  So to answer your question; yes, obesity induced inflammation can contribute to dementia because the immune mechanisms that cause chemo brain are almost identical.    

I know that they exists several experimental models that are studing the overlapping between Alzheimer and obesity under an inflammatory point of view. Also on pubmed you can find some papers.

What a vicious cycle - inflammation due to obesity causes cancer & dementia and cancer treatment increases inflammation and causes more neuronal damage

!

I agree with Santha, I t is a cycle but we don't know from where the start. Correlation always exist between Microbiota, iron metabolism and obesity. The link between inflammation and metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance). Is this a cause or consequences? It is a cycle.

The vicious cycle is between obesity causing cancer and dementia & cancer treatment (see Michael Alexander's answer) causing more inflammation and more neuronal damage.

I agree with Santha, it is a vicious cycle, but knowing that helps the design of treatments that address this problem.  Just on the face of it, being overweight is generally unhealthy.  The problem with chemotherapeutic drugs causing neuroinflammation is being addressed by the development of small-molecule anti-inflammatory drugs.  We know how to fix these things, but unfortunately a number of people must suffer before the proper steps are taken to eliminate the cause.

Infections as etiology and inflammation as consequence - response of body.  First cause of Mutation ana cancerogenesis is the elevation of  RADIOACTIVITY! Second - oncogenic viruses (HPV and other). Third - many, many chemical oncogenic agents.

Thanks Nikola