More bad news for those big bellies

There’s increasing evidence that it’s time to tame your belly.

According to a report in Science Daily, people with high levels of body fat stored in their belly or arms may be more likely to develop diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s than people with low levels of fat in these areas.

So, it’s time to get exercising everyone. 

The study, published in ​​Neurology, the publishing arm of the American Academy of Neurology, also found that people with a high level of muscle strength were less likely to develop these diseases than those with low muscle strength.

The study used data from the UK’s Biobank, a database and research resource, containing in-depth, de-identified genetic and health information from half a million UK participants.

Risk factors

“These neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect over 60 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages, so it’s crucial that we identify ways to modify risk factors to develop some preventive tools,” said study co-author Huan Song, MD, PhD, from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. 

“This study highlights the potential to lessen people’s risk of developing these diseases by improving their body composition,” he said. 

“Targeted interventions to reduce trunk and arm fat while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective for protection against these diseases than general weight control.”

Since 2006, the UK Biobank has collected biological and medical data on half a million people, aged between 40 and 69 years old living in the UK, as part of a large-scale prospective study. 

This study used Biobank data from 412,691 people with an average age of 56 who were followed for an average of nine years. At the beginning of the study, measurements were taken for body composition, such as waist and hip measurements, grip strength, bone density and fat and lean mass.

During the study, 8224 participants developed neurodegenerative diseases – mainly Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.

Men with high levels of belly fat developed neurodegenerative diseases at a rate of 3.38 per 1000 person-years, compared to 1.82 cases per 1000 person-years for those with low levels of body fat in their bellies. 

For women, the rates were 2.55 for high levels and 1.39 for low levels. 

Belly fat

Person-years represent both the number of people in the study and the amount of time each person spends in the study.

After adjusting for other factors that could affect the rate of disease, such as high blood pressure, smoking and drinking status and diabetes, researchers found that: 

• people with high levels of belly fat were 13 per cent more likely to develop these diseases than people with low levels of belly fat
• people with high levels of arm fat were 18 per cent more likely to develop the diseases than those with low levels of arm fat
• those with high muscle strength were 26 per cent less likely to develop the diseases than those with low levels of strength.

The relationship between body composition and neurodegenerative diseases was partly explained by the occurrence after the start of the study of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.

“This underscores the importance of managing these cardiovascular diseases right away to help prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other degenerative diseases,” Dr Song said.

The authors noted that using UK data did limit the findings as it did not represent a wide range of racial profiles. 

According to Parkinson’s Australia, about 15,000 people suffer from the disease in this country and an estimated 50 people are diagnosed every day.

More than 472,000 Australians live with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that more than one million Australians will have Alzheimer’s by 2058 without a significant medical breakthrough.

Would this research motivate you to improve your weight? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?

Also read: Lewy body dementia and its progress