Essential Tremor causes weight loss?
Tremors that commonly affect the elderly may spur weight loss by boosting their calorie expenditure, according to researchers. (Dr. Elan D. Louis and colleagues at Columbia University in New York point out in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology.)
Their study of older adults with a condition known as essential tremor found that patients had a lower average body mass index (BMI) than other adults their age, despite a similar daily calorie intake. BMI is a measurement of a person’s weight in relation to their height.
In their study, the 78 men and women with essential tremor had a BMI that was 6% lower, on average, than that of 242 healthy “control” participants. This was despite a similar calorie intake and average age–67. In addition, BMI tended to decline the more severe and enduring a patient’s tremors were.
“It is important for physicians to be aware of the potential for progressive weight loss in their patients with essential tremor so that nutrition can be addressed as part of the treatment plan.”