Obesity Causes Alzheimer’s-Like Brain Atrophy, You May Prevent It

Obesity has been associated with many health conditions including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A new study adds another concern: cognitive impairment.

The study was published by the Journal of Alzheimer’s DiseaseFound obesity A decreased brain mass was linked to the same as that in ahref=”https://www.theepochtimes.com/t-alzheimers”>Alzheimer’s Patients suffering from a serious illness.

Obesity Causes Similar Changes to Brain as Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers compared patterns of brain atrophy and amyloid-β/tau protein accumulation (hallmarks of Alzheimer’s) in patients with obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. They used a sample of over 1,300 individuals from four groups—Alzheimer’s disease patients, healthy people, obese but otherwise healthy people, and lean people.

The study was conducted using two large cohorts: the UK Biobank and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI).

Researchers used PET brain scans to investigate what mechanisms might be responsible for similarities between obesity-related brain atrophy and Alzheimer’s-related amyloid-beta accumulation. They also examined for overlaps in patients with both of these conditions.

These groups had similar brain shrinkages in areas related to learning, memory, judgment, according to scans.

Additional data was also available from An earlier study The study involved more than 20,000 participants. It found that higher body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio, and body fat percentage were all associated with poor fluid intelligence (ability solving problems) and working memories.

Earlier Another finding was that research shows obesity can change the body in ways that are linked to increased Alzheimer’s risk, particularly damage to blood vessels in the brain and accumulation of abnormal proteins in the brain.

Obesity is linked to many health issues, including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

“All those affect the brain in a negative way,” Filip Morys is the study author and holds a doctorate on cognitive neuroscience. He is also a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. “For example, through changes in the brain’s vascular system or the blood-brain barrier, this might in turn lead to neuronal loss.”

How Obesity increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases

The global epidemic level of obesity has reached alarming levels in recent decades.

Obesity can be a problem Tripled Worldwide since 1975. Data from 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO), show that almost 40 percent of adults over 18 were obese, while 13 percent were overweight.

Between 1999 and 2000, through 2017-March 2020, the prevalence of obesity in the United States increased from nearly 31 percent to approximately 42 percent. 

During the same time, severe obesity almost doubled.

Obesity is believed to increase neurodegenerative disease risk by two means—“promoting insulin resistance and the production of inflammatory molecules in the body called cytokines,” Dr. Jonathan J. Rasouli (director of complex and adult spinal surgery at Staten Island University Hospital, a Northwell Health facility in New York) said.

He said that a combination of these factors could increase your risk of developing neurologic, cardiovascular, pulmonary and musculoskeletal diseases.

There’s evidence showing insulin plays a role in brain health, and insulin resistance, which is associated with overweight and obesity, is significantly associated with Alzheimer’s risk.

Published in Frontiers in Neuroscience It has been shown that insulin, in addition to its metabolic functions, also modifies neuronal activity and improves memory in mammals.

When the brain can’t use insulin properly, cognition can become impaired.

A According to a recent study that insulin signaling is impaired in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and brain insulin resistance appears to be an early and common feature of Alzheimer’s disease.

‘An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure’

Is weight loss possible to reverse cognitive decline? The impact of weight loss on cognitive function in older adults, specifically, is still not understood fully, and it’s likely that more research will be needed.

But, there are encouraging signs that it may be beneficial.

A Recent research findings Even a modest weight loss can improve cognitive function in older people. Lifestyle changes such as exercise and healthy eating habits can have a positive effect on cognitive function and overall well-being at any age.

Cognitive decline is the most serious issue. “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Rasouli.

Although the progression of cognitive decline—including memory loss—can be slowed or temporarily stopped, he warned that as soon as the process starts, it is very difficult to fully “return to normal” afterward.

Reducing sources of inflammation is one of the things Rasouli encourages patients to do.

Normal aging is associated with increased and prolonged inflammation throughout the body—and the brain.

There are evidence to support the assertion that a>=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3390758/”>persistent, Increased levels Chronic inflammation is strongly linked with neurodegeneration, impaired growth of neurons (neurogenesis), as well as chronic diseases.

Metaflammation can be described as a “a href=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6885688/#:~:text=Metainflammation%20is%20defined%20as%20a,inflammation%20with%20target%20organ%20injury.”>metabolic Inflammatory state It is associated with obesity and can directly contribute to insulin resistance, metabolic disorder, and Type 2 Diabetes. There is evidence to support this assertion You can reverse this process by losing weight.

Morys stated that “key takeaway” is that obesity is a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

“In line with this, we think that obesity prevention and weight loss might play a very important role in decreasing the risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” He concluded.

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