As the size of a person’s belly grows, the memory center of their brain shrinks and beta amyloid and tau may appear — all of this occurring as early as a person’s 40s and 50s, well before any cognitive decline is apparent, according to new research.
Both beta amyloid plaques and tau tangles are early signs of the brain’s march toward a possible Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. Amyloid plaques typically appear first, with tau tangles arriving later as the disease progresses, reports CNN.
“The more amyloid or tau you have in the brain, the sicker the brain becomes,” said senior study author Dr. Cyrus Raji, associate professor of radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic, according to the World Health Organization, which estimates more than half the world will be overweight or obese within 10 years.
Visceral fat encases the organs deep in the body, wreaking havoc via inflammation and excess hormones that can disrupt the body's ability to process insulin.
Visceral fat is key
A pilot study by Raji and his team, released in November 2023, found a type of deep abdominal fat called visceral fat, was linked to inflammation and amyloid buildup in the brains of 32 men and women in their 40s and 50s. At this point in the research, the presence of tau was not confirmed.
The study also used gold-standard amyloid positron emission tomography, or PET, scans to verify the presence of amyloid and tau in the brains of study participants, and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, to measure levels of visceral fat that occur when waistlines expand.
“The more visceral fat one has, the more inflammation happens in the body and it’s much worse, in truth, than the inflammation that occurs with subcutaneous fat,” Raji said.
The PET scans showed that as visceral fat levels went up, so did levels of both amyloid and tau, according to the new research.
Visceral fat receives more blood flow due to its placement near organs and is more hormonally active than subcutaneous fat, Raji said.
Ways to fight visceral fat
There are smart ways to reduce belly fat that can reverse these trends, Isaacson said.
Exercise is key, Isaacson added, but do it by working out “smarter — not harder.”
“To more efficiently get into ‘fat burning’ mode and lose body fat over time, I suggest taking a brisk walk, at a steady pace, working up to at least 45 — 60 minutes two to three times per week,” he said.
“Walking fast on a treadmill at a slight incline, or walking with a weighted vest, are ways to get into the burning zone more quickly and efficiently,” he said. “Tracking and building muscle mass is also key — the more muscle a person has, the higher their metabolism and the better they can burn fat through the day.”
If your muscle mass is low, try strength training for at least 30 minutes twice a week or more, and be sure to eat adequate amounts of protein intake throughout the day, he added.
Bd-pratidin English/Fariha Nowshin Chinika
