Belly Fat Can Lead to Alzheimer's

A study published in Neurology found belly fat could cause brain shrinkage and elevate the risk of Alzheimer's, reports Newsmax Health . "Our research looked at a large group of people and found that obesity, specifically around the middle, may be linked to brain shrinkage," says Loughborough University's Mark Hamer. The implication is that obesity as measured by body mass index and a high waist-to-hip ratio may be a risk factor for brain shrinkage which can lead to dementia. "Brain gray matter shrinkage seems to be associated with obesity and increased visceral fat," notes Lenox Hill Hospital's Gayatri Devi. "All this goes to show that good general health is also very important for brain health."