There is a strait link between belly and Alzheimer’sor rather between visceral fat and dementia. There news comes directly from the congress of the Radiology Society of the USA, where experts presented research on the topic. The point is that the more visceral fat you have, the greater your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by elderly people.
The link between overweight and Alzheimer’s disease is already known
Several research centers had already addressed this topic in the past. We know, for example, that Obesity is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s. This happens because being overweight alters some neurons, facilitating the accumulation of the beta-amyloid protein or the occurrence of brain damage related to Alzheimer’s disease.
Link between belly and Alzheimer’s: the danger is visceral fat
The novelty of this study is that for the first time US experts have linked a specific type of fat to the accumulation of the beta-amyloid protein in cognitively normal people. Visceral fat is what It accumulates in the abdomen and surrounding the internal organs. It is called visceral precisely because it is found deep in the human body. It differs from the subcutaneous one that we can find throughout the body under the skin.
Dangerous visceral fat, protective subcutaneous fat
We know that the Visceral fat poses serious risks to human health, also increasing the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. The Subcutaneous fat on the contrary has a protective effect against heart attack and stroke. It also helps lower inflammation levels in the brain.
Link between belly and Alzheimer’s: American research
Researchers say the presence of visceral fat increases the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disease because it is linked to changes that can happen up to 15 years before symptoms appearwhich typically involve memory loss.
The experts put about fifty healthy people aged between 40 and 60 under the magnifying glass. The average Body Mass Index was 32, which means that they were all in a state of first degree obesity. The researchers measured glucose and insulin levels. They then subjected them to a test to check their glucose tolerance.
Tests carried out to understand the link
To understand the levels of subcutaneous and visceral fat they used abdominal magnetic resonance imaging. With brain MRI they instead evaluated the cortical thickness of the brain regions that are usually affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers finally used PET to understand whether there was an accumulation of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. These are proteins that are believed to interfere with communication between brain cells. They are detected in large quantities in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
Link between belly and Alzheimer’s: pay attention to your waistline
The results left no room for doubt. The higher the amount of visceral fat, the greater the accumulation of amyloid in the brain. At the same time, the higher the presence of visceral fat, the greater the inflammation in the brain.
Visceral fat can be present even in apparently thin people. The optimal abdominal circumference for women is less than 80 cm, while abdominal obesity is more than 88 cm. For men they are 94 cm and 102.