New study finds a links belly fat to the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Researchers discover a link between visceral fat around the midsection and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Would you believe that having more belly fat puts you at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease?
Researchers recently found that having more deep abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat, was linked to the early development of abnormal proteins in the brain that are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s, a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. According to the Cleveland Clinic, visceral fat is a “dangerous” type of body fat “found deep within [the] abdominal cavity [and] surrounds important organs, including [the] stomach, liver and intestines.”
“Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher PET levels of the two hallmark pathologic proteins of Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid and tau,” lead study author Dr. Mahsa Dolatshahi said, per People magazine. “To our knowledge, our study is the only one to demonstrate these findings at midlife where our participants are decades out from developing the earliest symptoms of the dementia that results from Alzheimer’s disease.”
The findings presented at the Radiological Society of America’s annual meeting on Dec. 2 found that the presence of this fat caused people to produce beta-amyloid and tau proteins, also known as the “trigger and the bullet” in Alzheimer’s, in their 40s and 50s, decades before the common cognitive decline.
“Since the study found these relationships decades before cognitive decline and an expected diagnosis, having laser sharp focus on reducing belly fat can be one of our most powerful tools to fight this terrible disease,” preventive neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of research at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Florida told CNN.
As previously reported by theGrio, obesity is a growing epidemic that has especially impacted Black communities in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than two in five adults, totaling about 100 million, are living with obesity. Among African-American adults, 49.9% are obese compared to their white counterparts who make up 41.4%.
Similarly, Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, impacting African Americans at higher rates. Typically, symptoms start after age 60, but experts say you can reduce the risk of dementia by staying physically active and managing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
“This work will have a considerable impact on public health,” senior study author Dr. Cyrus A. Raji added. “Knowing that visceral obesity negatively affects the brain opens up the possibility that treatment with lifestyle modifications or appropriate weight-loss drugs could improve cerebral blood flow and potentially lower the burden of and reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.”
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