A big belly is the way to dementia

Scientists from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research (Oakland, California), working under the guidance of Dr. Rachel A. Whitmer, estimated the volume of abdominal fat in 6583 people aged 40-45 years living in northern California. After an average of 36 years, 16% of the participants were diagnosed with dementia. At the same time, it turned out that the largest amount of fat deposits in the abdominal area corresponds to a three times higher risk of developing senile dementia compared with the smallest amount of abdominal fat.

A large belly increased the risk of developing dementia in any case: at normal weight, overweight or obese. The presence of a history of other diseases, such as diabetes, stroke or diseases of the cardiovascular system, did not affect the revealed pattern.

Overweight in combination with a large belly increased the risk of developing senile dementia by 2.3 times, and obesity in combination with a large belly – by 3.6 times compared to people with normal weight and belly size. Overweight and obesity without a large belly increased this indicator "only" by 1.8 times.

Previously, the presence of a large belly in middle age was associated with an increased risk of diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular diseases. The relationship of this parameter with the probability of loss of reason in old age is shown for the first time.

Among the population observed in the framework of the study, the most prone to abdominal obesity were women, as well as smokers, blacks, people with diabetes, poor education, as well as with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

As in all studies conducted according to observational data, there is a possibility that the relationship between abdominal obesity and dementia is not based on obesity itself, but on a complex set of physiological parameters, one of which is obesity.

Autopsy results showed that brain changes associated with Alzheimer's disease can manifest themselves at a fairly young or middle age. There is also evidence that excessive accumulation of fat in the abdominal area in older people is associated with more pronounced brain atrophy. These facts indicate that the dangerous effect of abdominal obesity on the brain can manifest itself long before the first signs of dementia appear.

Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily

31.03.2008