A recent study by Dr. Sudha Seshadri, a faculty member of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Senior Living Residences academic affiliate, finds that carrying excess belly fat my increase your risk of developing a dementing illness.
The study found that the larger the amount of deep belly fat, visceral fat, the smaller the brain. Smaller brain size is associated with a lower level of cognitive function on testing and an increased risk for dementia, said the study published in the Annals of Neurology.
Midlife obesity was previously linked as a risk factor of dementia, but central obesity increases that risk. In this current study, individuals with the largest centrally located obesity had a three times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, as compared to smaller-sized study participants.
This study again points to diet and exercise as potentially protective factors against developing Alzheimer’s disease
