
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Higher levels of belly and arm fat may increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, while high muscle strength may decrease this risk, new research suggests, the latest study to explore the link between body composition and brain degeneration.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>The study included 412,961 participants between the ages of 40 and 70 who were followed for an average of about nine years; 8,224 participants developed neurodegenerative diseases during this time—mainly Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.</p>



<p>The researchers found participants with excess arm fat had an 18% greater risk of developing these diseases compared to participants with low levels of arm fat, according to the study published Wednesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.</p>



<p>Participants with high levels of belly fat were also 13% more likely to develop these neurodegenerative diseases, and this risk was slightly higher in men than women.</p>



<p>However, there was one factor that consistently decreased risks among participants: Having high muscle strength lowered risks by over 25%.</p>



<p>Previous&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2807421#:~:text=High%20levels%20of%20lean,between%20risk%20factors%20and%20diseases." rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">research</a>&nbsp;found having higher levels of lean muscle mass—the difference between total body weight and body fat—decreases neurodegenerative disease risk, but the Neurology study researchers found inconsistent results on this factor, and suggested muscle quality may play a more important role in reducing risk than muscle quantity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">CRUCIAL QUOTE</h2>



<p>“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,” Dr. Huan Song, a study author and professor for Sichuan University in China, said in a statement.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-excess-fat-increase-the-risk-of-neurodegenerative-disease">WHY DOES EXCESS FAT INCREASE THE RISK OF NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE?</h2>



<p>One reason high levels of belly fat increases this risk is due to a type of fat called visceral fat, which only lies around abdominal organs. Visceral fat is also called “<a href="https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-visceral-fat" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">hidden fat</a>” because it’s located within the stomach and isn’t visible to the naked eye. Middle-aged people with excess visceral fat have increased levels of tau and amyloid proteins in their brains, which are both indicators of Alzheimer’s, according to a 2023&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2023.0707" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">study</a>&nbsp;published in Aging &amp; Disease. Researchers have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2023.1294420/full" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">found</a>&nbsp;obesity significantly increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases. The brain naturally shrinks with age, but obesity can cause this process to speed up, causing the brain to age by about 10 excess years and increasing Alzheimer’s risk,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/managing-the-risk-of-dementia/reduce-your-risk-of-dementia/obesity" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the Alzheimer’s Society. Metabolic changes associated with excess fat can damage the central nervous system, and can then lead to neuronal cell death, which is a known contributor to neurodegenerative disease, a Life Sciences&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002432051730276X?via%3Dihub" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">study</a>&nbsp;suggested.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">TANGENT</h2>



<p>The Neurology study researchers also considered how cardiovascular diseases—like heart disease or stroke—factor into degenerative brain disease development. Around 35% and 22% of participants with excess belly and arm fat, respectively, developed some form of cardiovascular disease after the study began, but before the onset of neurodegenerative diseases. Cardiovascular diseases have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">previously linked</a>&nbsp;as risk factors for neurodegenerative disease. The researchers believe early management of cardiovascular diseases in people with excess arm and belly fat may mitigate neurodegeneration.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>30 million. That’s how many people worldwide are living with a degenerative brain disease,&nbsp;<a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24976-neurodegenerative-diseases" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to the Cleveland Clinic.</p>


Neurology research, conceptual image

Excess Arm And Stomach Fat Boosts Alzheimer’s And Parkinson’s Risk While Muscle Strength Decreases It, Study Suggests

<p>Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates joined the battle against Alzheimer’s disease on Monday, when he announced a $50 million investment in UK-based Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), a venture capital fund. The investment is independent of his philanthropic work at the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates will follow up his initial investment with an additional $50 million to be doled out to start-up ventures working on Alzheimer&#8217;s research, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-dementia-gates/bill-gates-makes-100-million-personal-investment-to-fight-alzheimers-idUSKBN1DD0S3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">he told Reuters. </a></p>
<p>Dementia is something personal to him. “My dad will celebrate his 92nd birthday in a couple weeks, a milestone that was practically unimaginable when he was born,” Gates, wrote <a href="https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Digging-Deep-Into-Alzheimers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in a post</a> on his website, GatesNotes, on Monday. Gates did not say whether his father has dementia or not although he wrote that men in his family &#8220;have suffered from Alzheimer&#8217;s.&#8221; “Your risk of getting arthritis, Parkinson’s, or another non-infectious disease that diminishes your quality of life increases with each year. But of all the disorders that plague us late in life, one stands out as a particularly big threat to society: Alzheimer’s disease,” he added.</p>
<p>Although the number of studies investigating Alzheimer’s disease have grown in number over the past decade, scientists have not yet found a conclusive way to battle the disease, which is one of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S.. Every 66 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s, a rate expected to double by 2050, according <a href="https://www.alz.org/documents_custom/2016-facts-and-figures.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">to a 2016 study by the Alzheimer’s Association</a>. For those who live into their mid-80s, there is a 50% chance of developing the disease, which causes decline in memory, language, problem-solving and other cognitive skills, the nonprofit says. “That trend will likely continue as baby boomers age, which means that more families will watch their loved ones suffer from cognitive decline and slowly disappear,” Gates wrote in his post.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/cover-story/2017/11/03/lessons-ideas-100-greatest-living-minds/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Lessons And Ideas By The 100 Greatest Living Business Minds</a></p>
<p>In addition to its emotional burden, the disease also results in significant economic costs for families, caregivers and healthcare systems. In 2011, 15.2 million Americans provided unpaid care for their loved ones valued <a href="https://www.alz.org/documents/national/submitted-testimony-050113.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at over $210 billion</a>, an Alzheimer’s Association statement from 2013 concluded. The same statement said that Alzheimer’s expenditure will reach a total of $20 trillion over the next 40 years. Americans will spend <a href="https://www.alz.org/documents_custom/2017-facts-and-figures.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$259 billion</a> caring for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia just in 2017, according to the association.</p>
<p>The DDF, whose board includes the UK government as well as pharmaceutical giants like Biogen, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Eli Lilly, and Pfizer, has already invested in 12 ventures fighting Alzheimer’s in both the UK and the U.S. since it was founded in 2015. “We welcome Bill Gates’ involvement as we collaborate to solve one of the biggest issues in global healthcare,” Kate Bingham of healthcare venture capital firm SV Health, which manages DDF, said in a statement.</p>
<p>Along with his wife Melinda Gates and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, Bill Gates started the Giving Pledge in 2010 and committed to giving away more than half of his net worth in his lifetime. In October, he was unseated by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/billionaires/2017/10/31/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-richest-person-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as the world’s richest person</a> and will likely drop down the list in the near future, due to his philanthropic efforts.</p>
<p>“This is a frontier where we can dramatically improve human life,” the 62-year-old philanthropist said in a press release on Monday, “It’s a miracle that people are living so much longer, but longer life expectancies alone are not enough. People should be able to enjoy their later years – and we need a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s to fulfill that.” &#8211; <em>Written by <span class="fs-author-name contrib-byline-author"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/denizcam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-ga-track="contrib block byline">Deniz Cam</a></span><span class="comma">, </span><span class="contrib-byline-type"><span class="fs-text-s forbes-staff">FORBES STAFF</span></span></em></p>


Tag: Alzheimer’s

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Excess Arm And Stomach Fat Boosts Alzheimer’s And Parkinson’s Risk While Muscle Strength Decreases It, Study Suggests

Bill Gates Is Investing $100 Million In Alzheimer’s Research, Citing Family History