This Body Type Linked Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s

Having more fat around your midsection may make you more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. 

A specific type of body fat — visceral fat — around the midsection has been linked to the abnormal proteins that develop in the brain and are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, according to findings presented at the Radiological Society of America’s annual meeting on Dec. 2.

Visceral fat, the Cleveland Clinic explains, “is belly fat found deep within your abdominal cavity. It surrounds important organs, including your stomach, liver and intestines … Visceral fat is actually more dangerous to your health.”

Researchers looked at the association between visceral and other types of fat, and amyloid and tau proteins — which the National Library of Medicine has called the “trigger and the bullet” in Alzheimer’s.

“Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher PET levels of the two hallmark pathologic proteins of Alzheimer’s disease — amyloid and tau,” lead study author Dr. Mahsa Dolatshahi said. “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.”

However, they discovered that in those with high HDL — aka, “good” cholesterol — the effects of visceral fat on amyloid pathology was “partially reduced.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says. Symptoms generally start after age 60, but the CDC says you can reduce your risk of dementia by staying physically active, and managing conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

“This work will have a considerable impact on public health because nearly three out of four Americans are overweight or obese,” senior study author Dr. Cyrus A. Raji said. “Knowing that visceral obesity negatively affects the brain opens up the possibility that treatment with lifestyle modifications or appropriate weight-loss drugs could improve cerebral blood flow and potentially lower the burden of and reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease.”

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