The startling way obesity rewires your brain. Can weight loss help fight Alzheimer's?
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These days, researchers are learning more about the connection between physical health and cognitive functioning.
This has been particularly evident in the past few years when it comes to the possible impact of obesity on the brain. This hypothesis is backed by a study, which discovered that the brain changes identified in obese people mirror those found in Alzheimer’s patients.
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal published their research in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, where they analysed brain scans taken from more than 1,300 people.
In the study, it was found that the same brain regions responsible for learning, memory and judgement were thinning in both the obese participants and those with Alzheimer’s.
According to the study: ‘Obesity is increasingly recognised as a multisystem disease affecting respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems, among others.’
Based on previous reports, obesity can cause changes in the body that are associated with raising the risk of Alzheimer’s.
This includes damage to the brain’s blood vessels and the accumulation of abnormal proteins. The new research took this theory a step further.
But before we can dive into it, can weight loss really reverse the damage to the brain?
Dr Joseph Malone, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, said that the study opens the door to further exploration of whether weight loss might reverse some of the brain changes. However, Dr Malone was not involved with the study.
‘We do know that obesity is associated with other diseases that can affect the blood vessels in the brain, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and inflammation,’ he declared before adding that these diseases could lead to the breakdown of blood vessels in the brain and contribute to brain cell death.
‘While the obese individuals in the research did not show memory declines, it should be noted that what the experts might be seeing are early stages in the development of Alzheimer’s disease,’ said Dr Malone.
The Alzheimer’s Association, a US-based organisation whose goal is to ‘lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia’, has come up with ways to help older adults keep their minds sharp. You can read more details about this story here.
Back to the study, its first author and McGill University Postdoctoral Neuroscience Researcher Filip Morys said that the similarity between the brains of people who are obese, and those with Alzheimer’s, lies in the thickness of the cerebral cortex.
Thinning in that region of the brain might reflect a decrease in the number of brain cells, Mr Morys said.
The researchers hypothesised that obese people (and possibly those who are overweight) with a BMI of 25 to 25.9 might be able to ‘slow down’ the rate of cognitive decline if they can get closer to a healthy weight. However, Mr Morys couldn’t identify a target weight.
Factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, which are connected to obesity are also considered ‘bad for the brain’.
To take a closer look at the impact of obesity on brain structure, the researchers analysed brain scans from 341 Alzheimer’s patients and 341 obese individuals with a BMI of 30 or more, along with scans from 682 healthy individuals.
These brain scans and other details were provided by two large health databases: The UK Biobank and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
The cognitive tests taken by the obese individuals in the study did not reveal any obvious mental deficits. However, it was believed that the subtle changes in cognition related to the thinning of the cerebral cortex might not be picked up on the types of tests used to evaluate the mental status of a participant.
Sabrina Diano, Director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at the Columbia Irving Medical Centre, shared that the research showed something no one knew before.
‘The study showed that obese individuals and those with Alzheimer’s disease have common areas of the brain that are smaller in size, possibly due to a neurodegenerative process,’ she explained.
This meant that the nerve cells in these brain regions may be ‘experiencing damage and could be dying’. And while the scans can’t physically show that obesity is what’s causing the thinning of these areas, it does make sense that controlling body weight might be a way to reduce risks.
Ms Diano cited this research, which studied mice that have a genetic predisposition to develop Alzheimer’s and put them on a diet rich in carbohydrates and fat, as a way to conclude that weight loss can help reduce the rate of cognitive decline.
‘You can induce increases in body weight in the animal, and as they gain weight, cognitive impairment and brain degeneration are accelerated,’ she shared.
What can you say about this study, members? Do you have tips for staying healthy? Share them with us in the comments!
This has been particularly evident in the past few years when it comes to the possible impact of obesity on the brain. This hypothesis is backed by a study, which discovered that the brain changes identified in obese people mirror those found in Alzheimer’s patients.
Scientists at McGill University in Montreal published their research in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, where they analysed brain scans taken from more than 1,300 people.
In the study, it was found that the same brain regions responsible for learning, memory and judgement were thinning in both the obese participants and those with Alzheimer’s.
According to the study: ‘Obesity is increasingly recognised as a multisystem disease affecting respiratory, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular systems, among others.’
Can weight loss help fight dementia? Credit: Andres Ayrton/Pexels
Based on previous reports, obesity can cause changes in the body that are associated with raising the risk of Alzheimer’s.
This includes damage to the brain’s blood vessels and the accumulation of abnormal proteins. The new research took this theory a step further.
But before we can dive into it, can weight loss really reverse the damage to the brain?
Dr Joseph Malone, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh, said that the study opens the door to further exploration of whether weight loss might reverse some of the brain changes. However, Dr Malone was not involved with the study.
‘We do know that obesity is associated with other diseases that can affect the blood vessels in the brain, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and inflammation,’ he declared before adding that these diseases could lead to the breakdown of blood vessels in the brain and contribute to brain cell death.
Dr Malone said researchers should explore further whether weight loss can reverse some of the brain changes. Credit: Pixabay/Pexels
‘While the obese individuals in the research did not show memory declines, it should be noted that what the experts might be seeing are early stages in the development of Alzheimer’s disease,’ said Dr Malone.
The Alzheimer’s Association, a US-based organisation whose goal is to ‘lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia’, has come up with ways to help older adults keep their minds sharp. You can read more details about this story here.
Back to the study, its first author and McGill University Postdoctoral Neuroscience Researcher Filip Morys said that the similarity between the brains of people who are obese, and those with Alzheimer’s, lies in the thickness of the cerebral cortex.
Thinning in that region of the brain might reflect a decrease in the number of brain cells, Mr Morys said.
The researchers hypothesised that obese people (and possibly those who are overweight) with a BMI of 25 to 25.9 might be able to ‘slow down’ the rate of cognitive decline if they can get closer to a healthy weight. However, Mr Morys couldn’t identify a target weight.
A target ‘healthy’ weight wasn’t identified in the study. Credit: Andres Ayrton/Pexels
Factors, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes, which are connected to obesity are also considered ‘bad for the brain’.
To take a closer look at the impact of obesity on brain structure, the researchers analysed brain scans from 341 Alzheimer’s patients and 341 obese individuals with a BMI of 30 or more, along with scans from 682 healthy individuals.
These brain scans and other details were provided by two large health databases: The UK Biobank and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
The cognitive tests taken by the obese individuals in the study did not reveal any obvious mental deficits. However, it was believed that the subtle changes in cognition related to the thinning of the cerebral cortex might not be picked up on the types of tests used to evaluate the mental status of a participant.
Sabrina Diano, Director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at the Columbia Irving Medical Centre, shared that the research showed something no one knew before.
‘The study showed that obese individuals and those with Alzheimer’s disease have common areas of the brain that are smaller in size, possibly due to a neurodegenerative process,’ she explained.
This meant that the nerve cells in these brain regions may be ‘experiencing damage and could be dying’. And while the scans can’t physically show that obesity is what’s causing the thinning of these areas, it does make sense that controlling body weight might be a way to reduce risks.
Ms Diano cited this research, which studied mice that have a genetic predisposition to develop Alzheimer’s and put them on a diet rich in carbohydrates and fat, as a way to conclude that weight loss can help reduce the rate of cognitive decline.
‘You can induce increases in body weight in the animal, and as they gain weight, cognitive impairment and brain degeneration are accelerated,’ she shared.
