Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos Obesity is linked to several cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as high blood sugar and hypertension, which are considered to be risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly 45 percent of Latino adults are obese, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health. In a new study, to be published August 3, 2021 in the print issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues elsewhere, report that obesity alone is not associated with cognitive decline among Latinos.