Carrying excess fat in your arms and belly might put you at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study.
On the other hand, having greater levels of muscle strength might lower your risk of being diagnosed with such illnesses. The findings were published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
As part of the study, researchers followed 412,691 people with an average age of 56 for an average period of nine years. When the study began, participants agreed to several types of measurements, including:
- Body composition, such as waist and hip measurements
- Grip strength
- Bone density
- Fat and lean mass
During the study period, 8,224 people were diagnosed with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, as well as Parkinson’s disease.
The researchers made adjustments for other factors that could have triggered the diseases, such as hypertension, smoking and drinking status and diabetes. They then concluded that:
- People with high levels of belly fat were 13% more likely to develop neurodegenerative illnesses than people with low levels of belly fat.
- People with high levels of arm fat were 18% more likely to develop neurodegenerative illnesses than those with low levels of arm fat.
On the other hand, people with high degrees of muscle strength were 26% less likely to develop neurodegenerative illnesses than those with low levels of strength.
The researchers also mentioned that many of the cases of neurodegenerative disease occurred after patients developed cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
In a summary of the findings, study author Dr. Huan Song of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, said:
“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.”
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