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Your belly fat could lead to dementia.

Belly fat could lead to dementia, found in a new study that links increased fat in the middle to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease that begins in mid-life. Findings from Boston University researchers in the US reveal that individuals with higher waist circumference have smaller brains – findings that preliminarily link belly fat to higher risk of dementia.

Using information from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort, scientists from Boston University School of Medicine found a direct correlation between dementia risk and accumulation of belly fat that some might consider a nuisance, but has significant implications for preventing the rising incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and associated healthcare cost.

Scientists measured body mass index, waist circumference and amount of abdominal fat using CT scans. Brain MRI’s were used to measure changes in adults with an average age of 60 to find the link between belly fat and risk of dementia.

Sudha Seshadri, M.D. from the Boston University School of Medicine in the US says,”our data suggests a stronger connection between central obesity, particularly the visceral fat component of abdominal obesity, and risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” Getting rid of your belly fat might ensure years of brain health, though the findings are preliminary.

Smaller total brain mass that could indicate onset of dementia was more closely linked to individuals studied who also had the most belly fat and higher waist circumference. Even though the findings are not conclusive, Dr. Seshadri says we now have more understanding of the link between belly fat and dementia. According to the World Health Organization, there are 24.3 million people with some form of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia just might be preventable by losing a bit of belly fat.

Source: Annals of Neurology

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