Obesity has been linked to a number of serious health conditions. Researchers have documented higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers as body weight increases. Now scientists suggest that when people are seriously overweight, they likely have an increased risk of Alzheimer disease.
A Double Whammy:
Obesity is a huge challenge. First, people do not treat you well, and that includes health professionals. Second, all that advice about exercising and dieting doesn’t work! Finally, being told that being overweight will increase the risk of Alzheimer disease is like kicking someone when they are down.
The latest research was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Jan. 31, 2023.
Here is what the investigators found:
“This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the degree of similarity between brain atrophy patterns in obesity and AD [Alzheimer’s disease]. Using a sample of over 1,300 participants, we showed that patterns of cortical thinning related to obesity (‘obesity brain maps’), corrected for the effects of age and sex, correlated with similar patterns from AD brain maps.
“These results are consistent with our hypotheses and support an extensive literature that identifies midlife obesity as a risk factor for AD… In a large prospective study with autopsy data, mid-life obesity was associated with earlier onset of AD and increased AD neuropathology. Those findings are supported by a meta-analysis and review, which also shows that mid-life obesity is related to late-life dementia.”
The Amyloid Theory and the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease?
If you regularly read our newsletter, you know that there is growing concern about the amyloid theory of AD. If you missed our latest article on this controversy, here is a link.
The brain scans of seriously overweight people show a loss of gray matter that is similar to that seen in people with Alzheimer disease. On the other hand, obese individuals did not have a build-up of beta-amyloid typically seen in people with dementia. We can’t say that it rules out the amyloid theory, but it does not add support to that hypothesis.
What to Do About Obesity and the Risk of Alzheimer Disease?
The authors propose that weight management might slow down cognitive decline in aging and reduce the risk for Alzheimer disease. So far, though, scientists have not conducted randomized clinical trials to test this hypothesis.
These neuroscientists conclude:
“While more studies in humans are needed to delineate the specific mechanisms through which obesity increases AD risk, we are providing evidence that cortical grey matter atrophy may be a risk factor that ultimately leads to dementia in obese individuals. Together with previous studies summarizing positive effects of healthy diets on risk for AD, this study has clinical implications. Our results highlight the importance of interventions aimed at decreasing weight and metabolic risk factors in obese and overweight individuals in mid-life to decrease the subsequent risk of neurodegeneration and dementia in the population.”
Losing Weight to Lower the Risk of Alzheimer Disease:
Losing weight is really hard. There is a lot of buzz around semaglutide (Wegovy) and related medications that are used to treat type 2 diabetes. You can read about them at this link:
We just had the opportunity to discuss obesity with one of the country’s leading metabolic experts, Dr. Robert Lustig. He is a pediatric neuroendocrinologist, an emeritus professor of pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, and member of the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco. He has authored 130 peer-reviewed articles, 80 academic chapters and reviews, and dozens of op-eds for the public. He is the former chairman of the Obesity Task Force of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, a member of the Obesity Task Force of the Endocrine Society, and a member of the Pediatric Obesity Devices Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Our most recent conversation about obesity will air on our syndicated public radio show in several weeks. In the meantime, though, you can listen to our conversation with him about his book Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine. Just click on the arrow inside the green circle under Dr. Lustig’s photo.
The bottom line is that if we want to lose weight, we have to eliminate processed food from our diet. That means no more stuff that comes in packages. We need to eat real food that does not contain ingredients that we cannot pronounce. And, oh yes, avoid sugar like the plague!
If you know someone who might benefit from our interview on obesity, encourage them to sign up for our newsletter. That way, when our latest interview with Dr. Lustig airs, they will be able to access the free podcast. Here is a link to subscribe.
