THE ESSENTIAL
- The presence of visceral body fat in midlife may predict the risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
- Visceral fat is linked to an abnormal protein in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
- Lifestyle changes to reduce fat could reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Fat is a natural part of our body, but it can take forms that are harmful to our health. This is the case for visceral fat, located between the muscles and abdominal organs: it is associated with various cardiovascular pathologies. At the latest annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers demonstrated that it is also linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
What are the links between Alzheimer’s disease and visceral fat?
As part of their work, these scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine worked on the link between modifiable lifestyle factors, such as obesity, body fat distribution and certain metabolic aspects, and disease of Alzheimer’s. To do this, they recruited 80 people: 57.5% of the participants were obese and the average body mass index (BMI) of the participants was 32.31. Obesity being defined by a BMI greater than 30. Various examinations were carried out, including an MRI and a lipid profile to assess cholesterol levels. MRI examinations of the abdomen made it possible to measure the volume of subcutaneous fat, located under the skin, and visceral fat. “We studied the association between BMI, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, liver fat fraction, thigh fat and muscle, as well as insulin resistance and HDL (good cholesterol). , with amyloid and tau deposits, characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.explains Dr Mahsa Dolatshahi, the lead author of the study. In affected people, amyloid plaques and tau tangles build up in the brain.
Alzheimer’s disease: very early first signs
The results revealed that higher levels of visceral fat were linked to increased amyloid. “Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher levels of the two pathological proteins characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid and tau, continues Dr. Dolatshahi. To our knowledge, our study is the only one to demonstrate these results at midlife, when our participants are decades away from the onset of the first symptoms of dementia resulting from Alzheimer’s disease..” The study also showed that higher insulin resistance and lower HDL were associated with higher amyloid levels in the brain.
Reduce visceral fat to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s
“We have studied the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease as early as the 40s and 50s, when the pathology is in its early stages, and potential changes like weight loss and visceral fat reduction are more effective in preventing or delay the onset of the disease”she emphasizes. Medications or lifestyle changes could be offered to people with high levels of visceral fat, to reduce their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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