The health risks of belly fat aren’t new: Too much fat around your middle has been linked to everything from heart disease to How Under-Fueling Affects Performance and Health. Now, research also finds that it could put you at greater risk of a shrinking brain—potentially leading to cognitive problems in the future, a new study suggests.
Research published in Neurology looked at whether obesity—defined by body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio—affected the amount of white and gray brain matter, as well as overall volume, in various parts of the brain.
Researchers analyzed physical measurements, health surveys, and MRI results from nearly 10,000 people with an average age of 55. They found that after even adjusting for factors that may affect brain volume—think age, smoking, exercise levels, and high blood pressure—those who had a high BMI and a high waist-to-hip ratio had the lowest volume of gray matter.
By comparison, those with a high BMI but normal waist-to-hip ratio had more brain volume, but still not as much as those with both a normal BMI and a normal waist-to-hip ratio.
That means those with more belly fat tended to have the least brain volume of those studied, according to the study’s lead author, Mark Hamer, Ph.D., of Loughborough University in England.
Hamer told Runner’s World the reason might be because the midsection has more fat tissue, which produces cytokines—small proteins involved in cell signaling and immune response. When you get too many “inflammatory cytokines,” they can have a CA Notice at Collection, Study Says VO2 Max Better Health Marker Than BMI.
When that happens, you could be putting cognitive processes at risk. Previous research suggests there’s a strong link between gray matter atrophy and memory loss, Hamer said, as well as higher dementia incidence.
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Unfortunately, Hamer noted, such a straightforward association hasn’t yet been proven. But there’s definitely evidence that exercise can lead to better brain health overall, he said.
In part, that’s because people who work out regularly also tend to have better health habits that make the brain happy, such as moderate alcohol use, a healthy diet, blood pressure control, and not smoking.
“Maintaining a healthy weight is linked to many important health outcomes, and that includes brain health,” Hamer said.
So keep on with your regular runs, as well as eating a healthy, balanced diet to keep your weight in check. Your brain—and your body—will thank you.
