- Researchers say muscle fat in the thighs may indicate a higher risk of cognitive decline in older adults.
- Experts say fat stored in the body can cause inflammatory conditions that affect the brain.
- They say these findings highlight the need for older adults to have healthy diets and get daily exercise.
People who store increasing amounts of fat in their muscle tissue over time may be at higher risk of cognitive decline.
That’s according to a
Researchers report that increased levels of fat in the thigh muscles over a five-year period was a risk factor for faster and greater cognitive decline in older men and women.
The association between muscle fat — known as muscle adiposity — and loss of cognitive powers was found to be independent of total weight, other fat deposits in the body, muscle strength or mass, and traditional dementia risk factors.
“Our data suggest that muscle adiposity plays a unique role in cognitive decline, distinct from that of other types of fat or other muscle characteristics,” said Dr. Caterina Rosano, a corresponding study author and a professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, in a statement. “If that is the case, then the next step is to understand how muscle fat and the brain ‘talk’ to each other, and whether reducing muscle adiposity can also reduce dementia risk.”
Rosano and her colleagues used CT scans to measure muscle fat in 1,634 adults ages 69–79 years at year 1 and year 6. Cognitive function was assessed at years 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10.
“It’s well known that, in general, fat is bad for the brain because it releases inflammatory factors into the bloodstream,” Rosano told Medical News Today. “We also know that muscle, as an endocrine organ, produces factors that are good for the brain. Physical exercise is good for the brain.”
That knowledge provided the foundation for studying the possible effect…
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