pot belly = smaller brain ??

Pot bellies linked to Alzheimer's and dementia | Mail Online

Having a 'pot belly' in middle age raises the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia in later life, warn researchers.

A new study shows people with large stomachs by the time they reach their 50s are significantly more likely to have smaller brains.

Those with the biggest girths had a lower total area of brain tissue than those who kept a waistline, giving them a greater chance of developing dementia.

U.S. scientists measured abdominal obesity in 733 people aged 60 on average and compared them to brain volume on CT scans.

Those with the highest amount of waistline fat had smaller brains than those with the lowest amount.

'Our data suggests a stronger connection between central obesity . . . and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease,' said Sudha Seshadri, from Boston University School of Medicine, leader of the study published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

Dr Susanne Sorensen, of the Alzheimer's Society, said 'We have all heard a beer belly can be bad for our heart but this study suggests excess abdominal weight could also increase your risk of getting dementia.'

Abdominal fat is recognised as the most dangerous, hidden type of fat, which is more dangerous than fat on the hips.

This additional fat is packed around the organs in the abdomen and is more 'metabolically active', releasing more of the acids that raise heart disease risk, along with factors that increase blood pressure and blood sugar.

Other research has already linked obesity to vascular diseases which play a role in dementia, partly through hardening of the arteries.

The study published today does not detail the healthiest level of waist circumference.

But today, as a rough guide, doctors recommend men have a girth no bigger than 40 inches and women should stick around 35 inches.


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Study leader Sudha Seshadri, from Boston University School of Medicine, said it was a disturbing finding given that millions suffer from dementia.

Dr Seshadri said the results confirmed that increasing obesity was linked with lower brain volumes in older and younger, middle-aged adults.

'More importantly our data suggests a stronger connection between central obesity, particularly the visceral fat component of abdominal obesity, and risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease' added Dr Seshadri.

Previous research involving autopsies have shown that changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease may start in young to middle adulthood, and another study showed that high abdominal fat in elderly adults was tied to greater brain atrophy.

Experts believe the dangerous effects of abdominal obesity on the brain may start long before the signs of dementia appear.

Large midlife bellies have already been shown to raise the risk of diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease.