According to a recent study, obesity increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by slowing the blood flow to the brain. Approximately fifty percent of US adults are overweight and there’s compelling evidence that obesity affect blood supply to the brain, and that is proven to promote Alzheimer’s.
Besides the “shrinking brain” issue, obesity is linked to a myriad of health problems, ranging from heart disease to diabetes. The new study conducted by Dr. Amen and collaborators examined brain blood flow in over 17,000 adults with ages between 18 and 94.
Participants were split into 5 distinct categories: normal weight, underweight, overweight, obese and morbidly obese, as researchers used brain imaging technology, also known as SPECT, to examine blood flow in patients’ brains.
SPECT is a cutting edge technology, also known as single photon emission computed tomography. A special radioactive tracer is injected into a subject’s blood, and then doctors employ a special camera to analyze the flow of blood to the brain.
The brain scan data shows that as body weight increases, all brain regions are affected by lower blood flow. These findings emphasize the crucial implications of low blood flow to the brain in regard to memory disorders and learning, as it’s the case with Alzheimer’s disease.
Simply put, lower blood flow to the brain promotes Alzheimer’s disease, and there’s a strong link between being overweight and blood flow in several brain regions, which are known to be affected by Alzheimer’s, like the hippocampus, the parietal/temporal lobes, precuneus and posterior cingulate gyrus.
Dr. George Amen was quoted as saying in a media release that:
“One of the most important lessons we have learned through 30 years of performing functional brain imaging studies is that brains can be improved when you put them in a healing environment by adopting brain-healthy habits, such as a healthy calorie-smart diet and regular exercise”
According to CDC, Alzheimer’s disease is a common form of dementia and people over 60 are especially affected. The risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s increases exponentially as you get older, and according to the CDC, almost 43% of US adults over the age of 60 are obese.
Courtesy of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.