A new study says that how your body stores fat may be a leading indicator of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
Researchers found that individuals with higher levels of visceral fat possessed a higher risk of developing the cognitive disorder within 20 years. Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds vital organs like the liver, heart, and stomach. It is sometimes blamed for the so-called ‘skinny fat’ look that some people develop, whereby their midsection is disproportionately larger. Despite the additional fat deposits, these individuals may even possess a reasonably low body mass index (BMI).
“This study goes beyond using BMI to characterize body fat more accurately with MRI and, in so doing, reveals key insights about why obesity can increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” said lead study author Mahsa Dolatshahi, M.D., M.P.H., per the release from the Radiological Society of North America.
In the United States, Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia, which afflicts roughly one in 10 American adults over age 65. A further 22% also suffer from mild cognitive impairment.
The latest study is not the first to identify a connection between weight and risks of cognitive decline. As previously reported in The Dallas Express, a study released by the Lancet Commission found that diabetes and obesity were linked to a heightened risk of developing dementia.
The researchers of the latest study say the discovery that too much visceral fat can lead to Alzheimer’s could offer a sign of hope. Lowering visceral fat through improved nutrition, exercise, or weight loss drugs, like Ozempic, means you may be able to reduce the risk of cognitive deterioration further down the line.
The study looked at 80 “cognitively normal” individuals with an average age of just under 50. Around 57.5% of the participants were obese.
“Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher PET [positron emission tomography] levels of the two hallmark pathologic proteins of Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid and tau,” said Dr. Dolatshahi. “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.”