Fat location, not just amount, impacts brain health: study

Body fat distribution, rather than overall weight or BMI, is a critical factor in brain health, according to a large-scale study from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The research, involving over 18,000 participants from the UK Biobank, is the first to systematically examine the link between body fat patterns and brain structure, connectivity, and cognitive function.

Scientists found that fat in different body areas corresponded to distinct changes in specific brain systems. Fat in the arms, legs, torso, and visceral cavity showed varied effects on regions responsible for movement, emotions, memory, and the brainstem. However, visceral fat emerged as the sole type directly associated with damage to the brain's white matter.

“

Fats in different parts of the body are associated with completely different patterns of changes in the brain, which cannot be detected solely based on body weight or BMI.

This white matter damage, a network crucial for transmitting nerve signals, is closely linked to vascular cognitive impairment and small vessel brain disease, both of which elevate dementia risk. The study's authors suggest that the chronic, low-grade inflammation triggered by visceral fat may spread to the brain, promoting neuroinflammation.

"Visceral adipose tissue secretes pro-inflammatory factors that cause systemic inflammation, which contributes to neuroinflammation and damage to the brain's white matter," the research team stated in their paper. They noted that fat tissue in the arms, torso, and legs releases significantly fewer inflammatory factors. This mechanism aligns with previous findings highlighting the roles of insulin and glucose metabolism.

“

Visceral adipose tissue secretes pro-inflammatory factors that cause systemic inflammation, which contributes to neuroinflammation and damage to the brain's white matter.