Increased Belly Fat Leads To Dementia

Middle aged people with excess belly fat are more likely to develop dementia later in life.

A study by Kaiser Permanente examined medical records of 6583 people at ages of 40 and 50 in 1960s and 1970s. By 2006 15.9% of these people were dementia diagnosed.

Figures show that 324.3 overweight patients out of 10000 have developed dementia, 214.6 patients with normal weight out of 10000 have developed mental disorders. This means that the lower belly size is, the lower risk for developing dementia is.

The study indicates that those even with average weight, but excess belly fat have increased risk for developing dementia. People with pear-shaped bodies have fatty mass in part below the waist like hips and buttocks. People with apple-shaped bodies have fatty mass located mainly in waist area. These people have much visceral fat surrounding internal organs. This is why apple-shaped people are more likely to develop dementia than pear-shaped people.

Researchers are not 100% sure of how visceral fat leads to dementia, but there is a hypothesis that these fats are metabolically active, they may accelerate toxins leading to atherosclerosis in brain. This condition of brain is often seen in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

It is already well known that obesity leads to numerous health conditions, like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. This is the first of its kind study showing the link between obesity and mental health. Thus, obese and overweigh people are one more time urged to exercise a lot and have a healthy diet.