A study to be provided at the RSNA meeting reveals that higher levels of visceral stomach fat in midlife are linked to an increased danger of establishing Alzheimers disease. The research, involving brain scans of 54 participants, suggests that this fat type is connected with early brain changes and swelling, underscoring its possible as a target for early Alzheimers intervention.
Higher amounts of visceral abdominal fat in midlife are linked to the development of Alzheimers illness, according to research study being provided next week at the yearly conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Visceral fat is fat surrounding the internal organs deep in the stomach. Researchers discovered that this concealed stomach fat is associated with modifications in the brain as much as 15 years before the earliest memory loss signs of Alzheimers disease happen.
Rising Prevalence of Alzheimers.
According to the Alzheimers Association, there are more than 6 million Americans dealing with Alzheimers disease. By 2050, this number is projected to increase to nearly 13 million. One in every five women and one out of 10 guys will develop Alzheimers disease in their life time.
Recognizing Early Alzheimers Risks.
To attempt and determine Alzheimers risks previously, researchers assessed the association between brain MRI volumes, in addition to amyloid and tau uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) scans, with body mass index (BMI), weight problems, insulin resistance and stomach adipose (fatty) tissue in a cognitively regular midlife population. Amyloid and tau are proteins believed to hinder the communication in between brain cells.
This figure reveals increased neuroinflammation (yellow colors) related to greater hidden fat (visceral fat) in the mate of 54 individuals with an average age of 50 years in the brains white matter. The green colors are the normal white matter. Credit: RSNA/Mahsa Dolatshahi, M.D., M.P.H.
Unique Study on Fat Types and Alzheimers Risk.
” Even though there have been other research studies connecting BMI with brain atrophy and even a higher dementia risk, no previous research study has actually linked a particular type of fat to the real Alzheimers disease protein in cognitively regular individuals,” stated study author Mahsa Dolatshahi, M.D., M.P.H., post-doctoral research study fellow with Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Similar research studies have not examined the differential function of subcutaneous and visceral fat, specifically in regards to Alzheimers amyloid pathology, as early as midlife.”.
Research Study Methodology and Findings.
For this cross-sectional study, scientists evaluated data from 54 cognitively healthy participants, varying in age from 40 to 60 years old, with a typical BMI of 32. The individuals underwent glucose and insulin measurements, along with glucose tolerance tests. The volume of subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) and visceral fat were measured using abdominal MRI. Brain MRI measured the cortical density of brain regions that are affected in Alzheimers disease. PET was utilized to analyze illness pathology in a subset of 32 individuals, focusing on amyloid plaques and tau tangles that collect in Alzheimers illness.
The researchers discovered that a greater visceral to subcutaneous fat ratio was associated with higher amyloid PET tracer uptake in the precuneus cortex, the area known to be impacted early by amyloid pathology in Alzheimers disease. This relationship was worse in guys than in women. The researchers also discovered that higher visceral fat measurements relate to an increased problem of swelling in the brain.
” Several pathways are suggested to contribute,” Dr. Dolatshahi stated. “Inflammatory secretions of visceral fat– instead of possibly protective impacts of subcutaneous fat– may result in swelling in the brain, among the primary mechanisms contributing to Alzheimers disease.”.
Ramifications for Early Diagnosis and Intervention.
Senior author Cyrus A. Raji, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of radiology and neurology, and director of neuromagnetic resonance imaging at MIR, noted that the findings have several essential ramifications for earlier medical diagnosis and intervention.
” This study highlights an essential mechanism by which covert fat can increase the risk of Alzheimers illness,” he said. “It shows that such brain modifications happen as early as age 50, usually– approximately 15 years before the earliest amnesia signs of Alzheimers happen.”.
Dr. Raji included that the results may indicate visceral fat as a treatment target to customize threat of future brain swelling and dementia.
” By moving beyond body mass index in better characterizing the anatomical distribution of body fat on MRI, we now have an uniquely much better understanding of why this factor might increase threat for Alzheimers disease,” he stated.
Additional co-authors are Paul K. Commean, B.E.E., Joseph E. Ippolito, M.D., Ph.D., Tammie L. S. Benzinger, M.D., Ph.D., and John C. Morris, M.D.
Greater quantities of visceral stomach fat in midlife are linked to the development of Alzheimers disease, according to research study being presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Visceral fat is fat surrounding the internal organs deep in the stomach. Scientists discovered that this covert abdominal fat is related to changes in the brain up to 15 years before the earliest memory loss symptoms of Alzheimers illness happen.
The volume of subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) and visceral fat were measured utilizing abdominal MRI. The researchers discovered that a greater visceral to subcutaneous fat ratio was associated with greater amyloid PET tracer uptake in the precuneus cortex, the region understood to be affected early by amyloid pathology in Alzheimers disease.