For some time, there has been a link between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease. While it has been widely accepted that obesity does increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, researchers have not been able to determine exactly why this is the case. Recently, a study was conducted at Boston University Medical Center that may shed some light on the subject.
Researchers studied over 700 individuals and took a look at levels of body fat and brain size. They found that individuals with larger amounts of fat, particularly in the abdominal region, have smaller brains. While it has not yet been determined why this is the case, researchers speculate that changes in certain hormone levels (which are regulated by body fat) may cause the brain to shrink.
While it still has to be established that this shrinking of the brain is related to Alzheimer’s, it certainly could be a breakthrough in helping to determine a cause and potentially a treatment for this disease. In the mean time, this just serves as one more reason to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Wouldn’t you agree that your brain is a pretty important organ to protect!