A study involving 733 participants from the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort (average age 60) provides more evidence that excess abdominal fat places otherwise healthy, middle-aged people at greater risk for dementia later in life. The study also confirms that a higher BMI (body mass index) is associated with lower brain volumes in both older and middle-aged adults. However the association between visceral fat and total brain volume was independent of BMI. Visceral fat differs from subcutaneous fat in that it is buried deeper, beneath the muscles, around the organs. While it can only be seen by CT imaging, a pot belly or thick waist suggests its presence. For women (who become particularly vulnerable to this after menopause), a waistline above 88 cm is regarded as signaling a dangerous amount of visceral fat. Regular vigorous exercise, and consumption of polyunsaturated fats rather than saturated fats, is recommended.
Abdominal fat at middle age associated with greater risk of dementia
Reference
Debette, S., Beiser, A., Hoffmann, U., DeCarli, C., O’Donnell, C. J., Massaro, J. M., … Seshadri, S. (2010). Visceral fat is associated with lower brain volume in healthy middle-aged adults. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ana.22062
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