Scientists may be on the verge of a major medical breakthrough after discovering why obesity can significantly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Experts have long warned that obesity increases the risk of serious diseases, such as high blood pressure and cancer, while studies have shown that it can cause a decline in cognitive functions.
But now, American researchers believe they may have discovered how this condition accelerates Alzheimer's.
They found that higher levels of small molecules that store fat in obese people made them more susceptible to a toxic protein, amyloid, that spreads in the brain.
Large clumps of this protein, as well as another one — tau — can form plaques and tangles, and this is believed to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia.
Experts, who described the research as 'the first of its kind', said targeting these fat-storing molecules could help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in obese people.
However, they warned that further research is needed to prove whether these molecules 'directly contribute' to amyloid accumulation.
Dr. Stephen Wong, an expert in medical imaging and the biology of neurological disorders at Houston Methodist Academic Institute and co-author of the study, said: “As recent studies have highlighted, obesity is now recognized as a major modifiable risk factor for dementia.”
In the study, researchers took samples from lean and obese people in the hospital to track levels of subcutaneous and visceral fat.
Subcutaneous fat is the layer of fat immediately under the skin that can be grasped by hand, while visceral fat is deeper, surrounding the internal organs.
Tests already performed on patients, including cerebrospinal fluid analyses, were used to assess levels of amyloid in the brain.
The researchers found that the types and levels of lipids in the molecules that store fat differed between obese and lean people.
Higher levels of certain lipids, found in obese patients, altered the rate at which amyloid accumulated, they said.
The small molecules were able to cross the blood-brain barrier, they added.
Writing in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, the researchers said that targeting these small molecules and interrupting their communication that can lead to plaque formation could help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's in people with obesity.
But they added that, while the study provided valuable insight into the link between the molecules and amyloid accumulation in the brain, it 'does not prove' whether they 'contribute directly'.
Future animal studies will be essential to explore 'potential confounding effects' that may have influenced the findings and whether a definitive link exists.
Treatments or strategies that target the molecules could then act as 'potential therapies for neurodegenerative diseases,' they also said.
This follows a landmark study last year, which suggested that almost half of Alzheimer's cases could be prevented by addressing 14 lifestyle factors from childhood.
World experts discovered two new risk factors — high cholesterol and vision loss — that together were responsible for nearly one in ten dementia cases globally.
They joined 12 existing factors, ranging from genetics to smoking status, that experts have identified as increasing a person's risk of developing dementia.
Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, offered more hope than 'ever before' that the disorder that destroys memory and affects millions of lives can be treated.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK.
Memory problems, difficulties in thinking and reasoning, and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which worsen over time.
An analysis by Alzheimer's Research UK found that 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared to 69,178 the year before, making it the country's biggest killer.
However, Alzheimer's disease is on the rise globally; figures from Frontiers found that from 1990 to 2019, new cases of Alzheimer's and other dementias globally increased by about 148 percent, and total cases increased by about 161 percent.
This is not just due to air pollution, but also reflects the world's increasingly aging population. /GazetaExpress/
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