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Carrying a lot of fat in the arms or belly may make someone more likely to develop diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, research suggests.
People with a high level of muscle strength were less likely to develop these conditions than people with low muscle strength, the study also found.
Researchers suggest that reducing fat loss in the arms and torso while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective at protecting against these diseases than overall weight loss.
This study highlights the potential to lessen people’s risk of developing these diseases by improving their body composition
Professor Huan Song
According to the findings, people with high levels of belly fat were 13% more likely to develop these diseases than people with low levels of belly fat.
People with high levels of arm fat were 18% more likely to develop the conditions than those with low levels of arm fat.
Those with high muscle strength were 26% less likely to develop the diseases than those with low levels of strength.
Study author Huan Song, of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, said: “These neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect over 60 million people worldwide, and that number is expected to grow as the population ages, so it’s crucial that we identify ways to modify risk factors to develop some preventive tools.
“This study highlights the potential to lessen people’s risk of developing these diseases by improving their body composition.
“Targeted interventions to reduce trunk and arm fat while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective for protection against these diseases than general weight control.”
The study, published in the Neurology journal, involved 412,691 people from the UK Biobank study with an average age of 56 who were followed for an average of nine years.
Measurements were taken for body composition, such as waist and hip measurements, grip strength, bone density and fat and lean mass.
During the study, 8,224 people developed neurodegenerative diseases (when nerve cells in the brain or nervous system lose function over time and ultimately die) – mainly Alzheimer’s disease, other forms of dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers suggest the relationship between where the fat was carried and the neurodegenerative diseases was partly explained by the occurrence after the start of the study of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
Professor Song said: “This underscores the importance of managing these cardiovascular diseases right away to help prevent or delay the development of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or other degenerative diseases.”
