Midlife belly fat linked to increased Alzheimer ' s risk

People with higher amounts of visceral abdominal fat in midlife may be at increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to research to be presented at the upcoming RSNA meeting.This type of adipose tissue -- which surrounds internal organs deep in the belly -- is linked to changes in the brain up to 15 years before the earliest Alzheimer's symptoms appear, reported a team led by Mahsa Dolatshahi, MD, of Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis."[Our] findings prompt designing interventions targeted at reducing abdominal visceral fat, obesity, and insulin resistance in midlife to prevent against Alzheimer's disease pathology and neurodegeneration," the authors wrote. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that there are currently more than six million Americans living with the disease, and by 2050, this number may increase to nearly 13 million, the researchers noted. The ubiquity of the condition makes early detection crucial."Even though there have been other studies linking body mass index with brain atrophy or even a higher dementia risk, no prior study has linked a specific type of fat to the actual Alzheimer's disease protein in cognitively normal people," Dolatshahi said in a statement released November 20 by the RSNA.The team investigated any associations between brain MRI volumes -- as well as amyloid and tau uptake on PET scans -- with body mass index (BMI), obesity, insulin resistance, and abdominal fatty tissue ...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: 2023 Source Type: news