Warning to men with beer bellies as scientists find protruding gut may raise the risk of dementia

One study found that beer bellies can cause brain aging and reduced cognition in middle-aged men.

Those who had extra abdominal weight and a family history of Alzheimer’s disease were found to have lower brain function.

Researchers believe that higher fat deposits in the pancreas and liver may lead to a higher risk of dementia.

However, this was not the case for women.

Michal Schnaider Beeri, of Rutgers Health, New Jersey, said: “In middle-aged men at high risk for Alzheimer’s, but not women, higher pancreatic fat was associated with lower cognition and brain volume, which suggests a potential sex-specific link between different abdominal muscles.” fat with brain health.’

The researchers studied 204 healthy, middle-aged people with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.

They found that men with more abdominal fat had lower cognitive function.

Previous studies have shown that men with a higher BMI have a higher risk of dementia.

But this new research suggests that the problem is specifically related to the spread in middle age.

Sapir Golan Shekhtman, from Sheba Medical Center in Israel, added: “Our findings indicate stronger correlations compared to the relationships between BMI and cognition, suggesting that abdominal fat deposits, rather than BMI, are a factor.” risk for lower cognitive functioning and higher risk of dementia. .’

The study is published in the journal Obesity.

Excess fat that accumulates around the torso and surrounds vital organs is called visceral fat and contributes to a beer belly and an undesirable apple shape.

Visceral fat is the most dangerous type, as it leaks fatty acids into the bloodstream. It differs from the less dangerous subcutaneous fat, which accumulates just below the surface of the skin and is responsible for unstable fat and cellulite.

It comes after a study of more than 2.5 million people found that every additional 4 inches (10cm) of waist size was associated with an 11 percent greater chance of dying prematurely from any cause.

But having wider hips or bigger thighs can help us live longer, according to the study.

Many academics believe that waist circumference is a more accurate indicator of obesity and the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease than the commonly used body mass index (BMI).