Abdominal fat depots are related to lower cognitive functioning and brain volumes in middle-aged males at high Alzheimer’s risk
This study by Golan Shekhtman et al. (2024) aimed to investigate the relationship between abdominal fat distribution and cognition and brain volumes and explore potential differences between sexes in this association. A group of 204 healthy middle-aged individuals, who were offspring of Alzheimer’s dementia patients (mean age = 59.44, 60% females), underwent abdominal magnetic resonance imaging to quantify different fat depots, including pancreatic, hepatic, visceral (i.e., fat surrounding abdominal organs), and subcutaneous adipose tissue. Cognition and brain volumes were also assessed. Across the entire sample, a higher percentage of hepatic fat was linked to a decrease in total gray matter volume. In males specifically and among investigated fat deposits, a higher percentage of pancreatic fat was associated with declines in executive function, global cognition, episodic memory, and inferior frontal gyrus volume. Moreover, both visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue showed inverse associations with middle frontal and superior frontal gyrus volumes in both males and females. The authors conclude that, among middle-aged males at a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s dementia, but not females, higher levels of pancreatic fat were correlated with poorer cognition and reduced brain volumes. These findings suggest a possible sex-specific relationship between different abdominal fat distributions and brain health. [NPID: Abdominal fat distribution, cognition, brain volumes, sex differences, Alzheimer’s dementia risk, visceral adipose tissue, subcutaneous adipose tissue]
Year: 2024
