A recent study has sounded the alarm bell, revealing that the fat accumulated around the body’s midsection may be a ticking time bomb for brain health—especially if you’re a middle-aged man.
Researchers have uncovered a link between excessive abdominal fat and an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive condition with no known cure that robs people of their memories and cognitive abilities.
Pancreatic and Visceral Fat Tied to Brain Health
Close to 75 percent of American adults are overweight or obese. The condition impacts various aspects of health, including cognition. Crucially, the type of fat associated with this increased risk is not detectable with conventional body mass index (BMI) measurements.
The study, published in the journal Obesity, examined 204 healthy middle-aged people who were children of Alzheimer’s dementia patients. This group was chosen because they were already at an increased risk of developing the degenerative neurological condition.
The participants’ average age was about 59, and 60 percent were female. All underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the amount of hepatic (liver), pancreatic, visceral (inside the abdomen), and subcutaneous (under the skin) fat tissue. Additionally, their brain volume and cognition were assessed.
The findings revealed that middle-aged males with higher visceral fat were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s, but this was not the case for women. Furthermore, researchers found that higher pancreatic fat was specifically associated with lower cognition and reduced brain volumes in the male group.
This study challenges the conventional use of BMI as the primary measure for determining obesity-related cognitive risks, according to the researchers. They noted that BMI poorly represents body fat distribution and does not necessarily account for sex differences, given that the risk was identified exclusively in men.
“Our findings indicate stronger correlations compared to the relationships between BMI and cognition, suggesting that abdominal fat depots, rather than BMI, are a risk factor for lower cognitive functioning and higher dementia risk,” Sapir Golan Shekhtman, a doctorate student at the Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel and a co-author of the study, said in a press statement.
Fat in Critical Organs, Not Fat Itself, May Impact Brain Health
The issue is not about fat directly affecting the brain, Michal Schnaider Beeri, the director of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer’s Research Center at Rutgers Brain Health Institute and the lead author of the study, told The Epoch Times.
Instead, she and her team believe the problem is what happens when fat accumulates in critical organs such as the pancreas. In that organ, fat could impact the secretion of factors that can cross the blood-brain barrier, ultimately affecting the brain. Insulin is an example; it is secreted only by the pancreas and is crucial for brain function, Ms. Beeri added.
“At this stage, we are investigating these factors and hope to find those that can be modified/treated to impede their negative effects on the brain and cognition,” she said.
According to her, the key takeaways of the study are:
- Most importantly, abdominal fat may affect the brain and cognition in midlife for people at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
- These effects are sex-specific, indicating that research on the impact of fat on brain aging should be conducted in the context of sex differences.
- Although BMI is the most common measure of obesity, it represents fat, muscle, and bone mass. “In our hands, it predicted brain volume and cognitive functions less well compared to specific fat depots,” she said.
Previous Research Has Also Linked Fat to Cognitive Decline
The study supports previous research that established obesity as one of nine risk factors for reduced cognitive function and increased dementia risk. The other factors are depression, high blood pressure, hearing loss, less education, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, and low social contact.
A much larger study published in 2018 found that higher abdominal fat levels in older adults were associated with cognitive decline. It included 5,186 adults aged 60 and older from the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture aging cohort study. Researchers found that an unhealthy waist-hip ratio was negatively associated with cognitive function in all participants.
Another study published in 2023, with 32 male participants, reported that visceral fat could trigger brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s up to 15 years before the disease was diagnosed. The researchers noted that visceral fat is known to be associated with “insulin resistance and a pro-inflammatory state,” two mechanisms involved in Alzheimer’s pathology.
What sets the new study apart is that it highlighted how abdominal fat presents a different risk for each sex.
Reducing Belly Fat a Matter of Changing Lifestyle
Experts recommend the following strategies to help minimize unhealthy belly fat:
- Reduce carbohydrate intake: Johns Hopkins researchers compared the effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on heart health over six months, with both diets having the same calorie intake. The findings revealed that participants on the low-carb diet lost an average of 10 pounds more than those on the low-fat diet.
- Choose a healthy eating plan, not a diet: Instead of restrictive dieting, it is crucial to choose a sustainable eating plan that you can stick to in the long run. Counting calories may not be as effective as making wholesome food choices that support heart health, such as incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
- Increase physical activity: Aim for at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise daily. Regular physical activity not only aids weight loss but also strengthens the heart muscle and improves cardiovascular fitness.
- Reduce processed food intake: Processed foods often contain high levels of trans fats, added sugars, and excessive sodium, making losing weight difficult. Opt for whole, minimally processed foods whenever possible.