Obesity causes neurodegeneration of an Alzheimer’s Disease-Like Type.

By Maggie On Jan 31, 2023

Obesity causes neurodegeneration of an Alzheimer’s Disease-Like Type. Keeping excess weight under control may lead to improved health outcomes and a slight cognitive ability decrease.

A new study by researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) of McGill University showed an association between neurodegeneration in obese people and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. The researchers were looking for causes of neurodegeneration. This indicates that achieving a healthy weight and maintaining it could decrease the cognitive loss associated with aging and reduce the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Obesity is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related alterations, such as damage to the cerebrovascular system and an accumulation of amyloid-ß, according to the previous study. However, as of yet, no studies have attempted a direct comparison between the patterns of brain atrophy seen in Alzheimer’s disease and those seen in obesity.

The study investigated the patterns of grey matter atrophy in obesity and Alzheimer’s disease using a sample size of over 1,300 individuals. They created maps of grey matter atrophy for each group, comparing Alzheimer’s disease patients with healthy controls and persons who were fat with those who were not obese.

The researchers concluded that obesity and Alzheimer’s disease had similar effects on the loss of grey matter in the brain. For instance, the amount of thinning that occurred in the right temporoparietal cortex and the left prefrontal cortex was comparable in both groups. A possible indicator of neurodegeneration is a thinning of the cortex. This lends credence to the hypothesis that obesity is responsible for the same type of neurodegeneration observed in AD patients.

Obesity is becoming recognized as a multisystem disease that affects a variety of systems, including the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, and the respiratory system. This study also helps disclose a neurological impact, suggesting that obesity may have a role in developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It was published today (January 31, in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease on January 31, 2022.

According to Filip Morys, a Ph.D. researcher at The Neuro and the study’s first author, “Our study strengthens previous literature pointing to obesity as a significant factor in AD by showing that cortical thinning might be one of the potential risk mechanisms.” “Our study strengthens previous literature pointing to obesity as a significant factor in AD by showing that cortical thinning might be one of the potential risk mechanisms.” “Our findings underline the necessity of weight loss in those who are obese or overweight in mid-life to reduce the later risk of neurodegeneration and dementia.”