Study Links Middle-Age Belly Fat to Dementia
People who have big bellies in their 40s are much more likely to get Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in their 70s, according to new research that links the middle-aged spread to a fading mind for the first time.
The study of more than 6,000 people found that the more fat they had in their guts in their early to mid-40s, the greater their chances of becoming forgetful and confused and showing other signs of senility as they aged. Those who had the most expansive midsections faced more than twice the risk of the leanest.
The potential mechanism? Toxic Fat
The research is the latest evidence that fat in the abdomen is the most dangerous kind. Previous studies have linked an apple-shaped physique to a greater propensity for diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Researchers suspect that belly fat cells are the worst because of their proximity to major organs. They ooze noxious chemicals, stoking inflammation, constricting blood vessels and triggering other processes that may also damage brain cells.
"There is a lot of work out there that suggests that the fat wrapped around your inner organs is much more metabolically active than other types of fat right under the skin," Whitmer said. "It's pumping out toxic substances. It's very potent toxic fat."
This fits with what I learned way back that
pear-shaped body is healthier than an apple-shape.
1 comment:
I have to wonder though if belly fat is causal or if it is merely correlated. Do people who drink too much tend to store alcoholic fat in their bellies? Has alcohol abuse been accounted for? What about other types of exercise. The toxic fat explanation is plausible, but I think more work needs to be done. If it is not, there could be a rush of hard-drinking middle aged people running to get liposuction instead of moderating their alcohol intake or whatever other behavioral issues that might be causing both phenomena.
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