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Excess belly fat linked to higher dementia risk, research shows. Experts explain, and advise how to shrink your waist to protect your brain

  • Research links inflammation caused by excess abdominal fat with a higher risk of brain atrophy as we age, and indicates women are most at risk
  • Brain and nutrition experts explain the link, and what makes visceral fat around the midsection particularly dangerous, and offer tips on how to lose weight

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Having excess belly fat increases the risk of suffering from dementia, especially for women, according to recent research. Experts explain the link and give tips on how to shrink your waist to prevent your brain shrinking. Photo: Shutterstock
This is the 22nd instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
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Have you measured your waist recently? If not, go and get a tape measure now, wind it around your middle and check. That measurement may correlate to the size and health of your brain.

A waist size of more than 88 centimetres (35 inches) for women and more than 102 cm for men can increase inflammation in the body and elevate the risk of amyloid deposits – the protein marker for Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia – in the brain.

These two factors together are believed to affect the hippocampus, the brain’s memory centre.

A waist size of more than 88cm for women and more than 102cm for men may put brain health at risk. Photo: Shutterstock
A waist size of more than 88cm for women and more than 102cm for men may put brain health at risk. Photo: Shutterstock

This is particularly the case for women – who are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s anyway after menopause when oestrogen levels drop, since oestrogen seems to have an effect on fat distribution in the body.

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