ISMRM: Higher BMI measures translate to poorer brain health

SINGAPORE – A higher body mass index (BMI) translates to poorer brain health in the form of premature aging, according to research presented May 7 at the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) meeting. Presenter Han Lv, PhD, of Beijing Friendship Hospital in China and colleagues found high BMI to be causally associated with smaller brain volume and abnormal microstructural integrity in projection fibers, especially in adults under the age of 45. The causal relationship between BMI -- a modifiable factor associated with poor cardiovascular health -- and brain health is unclear, Lv's group noted. The team performed a study to explore the effect of BMI on neuroimaging features in adults of different ages and verify the causal relationship. It based the research on information from the KaiLuan study, which began in 2006 and consists of data from 681,275 individuals; this work included participants who visited the hospital at least three times and underwent brain MRI examination, with no evidence of dementia or mental disorders. Starting in 2020, patients received 3-tesla MR imaging for volumetric measurements of the brain structure, white-matter hyperintensity, and skeletonized white-matter tract at the voxel level. Lv's and colleagues' study included data from 1,074 adults between the ages of 25 and 83. Overall, they found that high BMI was associated with a wide range of negative brain health effects. They also reported the following:Differences in...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: ISMRM 2024 Source Type: news