Hidden belly fat increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease
The fear of developing Alzheimer's disease is widespread. Researchers are trying to understand which factors promote the development of the disease and have discovered a hidden clue in the middle of the body.
A lot of belly fat in adults aged between 40 and 60 increases the risk of developing Alzheimer's later in life. This was the finding of a research team led by Mahsa Dolatshahi from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Specifically, according to the researchers' findings, it is about so-called visceral abdominal fat, which is located deep inside the body and surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity. It is also known colloquially as hidden fat.
The researchers assume that an excess of visceral fat could be responsible for changes in the brain up to 15 years before the first Alzheimer's symptoms appear. In the study, numerous data from a total of 54 mentally (cognitively) healthy people between the ages of 40 and 60 were collected and analyzed. The average body mass index (BMI) was 32, which is above the normal weight range of 24 for women and 25 for men. The research team also looked at the results of various imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET).
The MRI data was used to determine the volume of visceral fat in the abdomen and subcutaneous fat, i.e. the fat under the skin. The regions in the brain associated with the development of Alzheimer's were also measured. PET scans were used to check whether so-called beta-amyloid and tau proteins had already been deposited in the brain. Both are suspected of disrupting communication between the cells in the brain and thus causing the symptoms typical of Alzheimer's disease.
Many clues and biomarkers
When analyzing the data, the researchers saw that a higher proportion of abdominal fat also resulted in more amyloid proteins in a brain region called the precuneus. Changes towards Alzheimer's disease can be detected particularly early in this area. At the same time, the scientists observed a lower proportion of gray matter in a certain part of the memory center in these people. They thus found a further biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. Overall, more study participants were affected than female participants.
It has been known for some time that visceral fat promotes inflammation in the body. For the research team, it is conceivable that abdominal fat could also increase the inflammatory load in the brain. "Inflammatory secretions (body substances) from visceral fat - in contrast to the potentially protective effects of subcutaneous fat - can lead to inflammation in the brain, one of the main mechanisms contributing to Alzheimer's disease," Dolatshahi is quoted as saying in Neuroscience. At the same time, it is suspected that several causes play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Perceiving belly fat more as an Alzheimer's risk factor
"The study shows that such brain changes occur on average at the age of 50, (and thus - editor's note) up to 15 years before the first memory loss symptoms of Alzheimer's appear," summarizes study leader Cyrus A. Raji. The researchers agree that in future, the hidden fat on the abdomen must be focused on even more as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
Although there are consistent indications of a possible link between BMI and the risk of Alzheimer's in previous studies, the current study is unique, the researchers emphasize. This is because no specific type of fat has ever been linked to the actual Alzheimer's protein in cognitively healthy people before, said Dolatshahi. The results of the study will be presented at the Radiology Society of North America conference next week.
Source: www.ntv.de
