People with a lot of fat here are at higher risk of dementia and Parkinson's disease

Research has shown that people with a lot of fat in their abdomen or arms are at a higher risk of developing degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease compared to those without such fat. However, this risk can be offset by strength.

A research team from Sichuan University in China conducted a study to identify factors that increase the risk of degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Parkinson's disease. They tracked the relationship between waist and hip circumference, grip strength, bone density, body fat, and lean body mass (the weight minus fat) among 412,691 UK Biobank participants over an average of 9.1 years to observe the association with the risk of developing degenerative brain diseases.

Professor Song Huan, the author of the study, stated, "Degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's affect over 60 million people worldwide and are expected to increase as the population ages," and emphasized, "It is important to find ways to manage risk factors for the development of these diseases in order to develop preventive tools."

As a result of the analysis, a total of 8,224 cases of degenerative brain diseases were recorded during the study period. The diseases diagnosed included 2,993 cases of Alzheimer's disease, 2,427 cases of Parkinson's disease, and a total of 6,076 cases of dementia from all causes. However, the incidence rate of degenerative brain diseases varied depending on the amount of fat in different parts of the body.

First, the more abdominal fat there was, the higher the incidence rate of degenerative brain diseases. The one-year incidence rate of degenerative brain diseases among men and women with high abdominal fat levels was 3.38 and 2.55 cases per 1,000 people, respectively. It was higher than that of men (1.82 cases) and women (1.39 cases) with low abdominal fat levels.

When the research team adjusted for factors that could influence the development of degenerative brain diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, it was found that individuals with a lot of abdominal fat had a 13% higher incidence of degenerative brain diseases compared to those without.

In the same way, people with more fat in their arm area were 18% higher than those with less fat. However, individuals with higher muscle strength were found to have a 26% lower risk of developing degenerative brain diseases compared to those with lower muscle strength.

Professor Song Huan, the author of the study, stated, "Our research shows that having excess fat in the abdomen and arms may increase the risk of degenerative brain diseases," and added, "This correlation was observed independently of factors like hypertension, and was partially mediated by cardiovascular disease, so managing body composition to prevent cardiovascular disease is also a preventive measure for degenerative brain diseases."