A type of body fat causes Alzheimer's.. How to avoid it?

Researchers have linked a certain type of body fat to abnormal proteins in the brain, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease, even 20 years before the first symptoms of dementia appear.

The results of the new study were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America held in Chicago between December 1 and 5.

The importance of lifestyle modifications

The researchers confirmed that lifestyle modifications, which aim to reduce these fats, can affect the development of Alzheimer's disease.

According to "Medical Express", this decisive result was discovered by examining the research on the middle age stage - in the 40s and 50s - when the disease is in its early stages, and potential modifications such as: losing weight, and reducing visceral fat are more effective as a means of preventing or delaying its onset.

The study was conducted at the University of Washington, and the researchers focused on the relationship between modifiable lifestyle factors, such as obesity, body fat distribution, and metabolic aspects, and Alzheimer's disease.

Abdominal fat problems

The study included 80 normal individuals with average cognitive abilities, with an average age of 49.4 years, 62.5% of the participants were female, and about 57.5% of the participants were obese.

The participants underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the brain, an MRI of the body, and a metabolic assessment (glucose and insulin measurements), in addition to cholesterol.

Weight problems

Abdominal MRI scans assessed the volume of subcutaneous fat, and the deep visceral fat hidden around the organs in the abdominal area.

By linking with the deposition of "amyloid", which is associated with Alzheimer's disease, the results revealed that higher levels of visceral fat were associated with increased amyloid, which accounts for 77% of the effect of being overweight.

Other types of fat were not associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease associated with obesity.

Key findings of the study

"Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher levels of two major pathological proteins in Alzheimer's disease: amyloid and tau," said lead researcher Dr. Mahsa Dolatshahi.

The study also showed that higher insulin resistance and lower HDL cholesterol were associated with higher amyloid in the brain.

The effects of visceral fat on amyloid-related disease were partially reduced in those with higher HDL cholesterol.