A new study gives us another reason to get into shape. It is also a great example of how our mental health, phsyical health, and spiritual health are all interwoven. Apparently having a large belly during your midlife years increases the chance that you will suffer from dementia when you are older. The study was published in Neurology which is a very prestigious journal. This news story is reprinted from the Columbia Tribune.
That Buddha belly makes your jeans tight.
That paunch gets in the way when you bend over for the change in the candy machine.
And now a new study warns that a large belly in midlife could raise our risk of dementia when we’re old.
The study, begun in the 1960s, concluded that people who were both obese and had a big belly were three times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia in their 70s and 80s than those of normal weight and belly size.
And, because the dementia risk nearly doubled in people who were considered a healthy weight but had large waists, researchers concluded that it matters where you carry your weight.
The research, published recently in Neurology, is said to be the first to link midlife belly bulge with dementia in older age. It didn’t look at why belly fat increases the dementia risk or whether losing the belly reduces the risk.
But it squares with other research suggesting that cardiovascular health problems - the same ones that can be created by excessive body fat around your middle - put you at risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are all known risk factors for the most common form of Alzheimer’s that affects 90 percent of patients.
“We cannot prevent the disease, but it is encouraging to know that we can prevent some risk factors,” says Michelle Niedens, education director for the Heart of America Alzheimer’s Association in Prairie Village. “We might as well control those things that we can.”
The relationship between brain health and stomach fat is complicated. The study’s researchers can only hypothesize about it, suggesting that the fat might release toxins that have been associated with the buildup of brain plaque found in Alzheimer’s patients.
Belly fat has long been known to be a health hazard. The deep fat stored in big bellies - visceral fat - packs itself around internal organs, leading to inflammation and metabolic changes that can unleash a host of health problems.
“I think it should energize us to understand that choices we’re making now and priorities we’re making now directly relate to the quality of end life,” Niedens says. “We may not be able to control whatever faces us in the future, but we can control some pieces.”
Taking a cue from this new study - which lends credence to “what’s good for the heart is good for the brain” - is a start, Niedens says.
Her advice: Stay physically active and follow a brain-healthy diet.
BRAIN FOOD
The good news about the kind of diet that will help you lose that gut? It will also be healthy for your brain.
“A diet like that has a lot of color, vibrant colors, has a lot of whole grains and lean foods, and those will be good in helping your brain stay healthy,” says registered dietitian Mary Meck Higgins, a certified diabetes educator at Kansas State University.
To banish excessive body fat, load up on the fruits and vegetables, without any added sugar, she says. (more…)
