Health
Alzheimer’s risk could rise with common condition affecting millions, study finds
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The first study to evaluate the link between Alzheimer’s disease and body weight found a significant association.
Researchers at Washington University Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, discovered that Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers increased 95% faster in people with obesity than in non-obese individuals.
The study, which was presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, investigated five years of data from 407 participants from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, including PET scans (medical imaging) and blood samples.
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The researchers assessed the association between Alzheimer’s biomarkers and body mass index (BMI), according to a press release.
When the participants were first measured, a higher BMI was associated with lower Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers due to blood dilution, since people with higher body weight often have larger blood volume.
Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers increased 95% faster in people with obesity, the study found. (iStock)
But when the researchers followed the same participants over a longer period, they found that those with obesity developed a greater Alzheimer’s disease burden than those without obesity.
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In analyzing how the Alzheimer’s biomarkers matched up with PET scan results, they noted a buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain — a central hallmark of the most common type of dementia.
PET scans reveal a buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain – a “central hallmark” of Alzheimer’s. (iStock)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the study authors discussed the impact of these findings.
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“Our study shows that over a five-year period, obesity is associated with a steady increase in Alzheimer’s-related pathology,” said lead author Dr. Soheil Mohammadi, a post-doctoral research associate at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, part of WashU Medicine.
“What surprised me was how sensitive the blood biomarkers were in detecting this relationship. They captured subtle changes even better than brain imaging.”
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Senior study author Dr. Cyrus Raji, associate professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University, noted that the progression of Alzheimer’s is “influenced by pathologies happening overall in the body, such as obesity.”
“It is critical to preserve brain health by optimizing body health as well,” he said.
“It is critical to preserve brain health by optimizing body health as well,” the lead researcher said. (iStock)
Recent clinical trials (EVOKE and EVOKE+) have explored whether GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic) could slow cognitive decline in people already diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease.
“While the recent Evoke trials failed to show an effect of Ozempic for the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia, our work should motivate future trials to determine if this class of drugs can help prevent Alzheimer’s by treating obesity earlier in life,” Raji said. “Caretakers and clinicians are key partners in making such trials happen.”
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One limitation of this research, according to Mohammadi, is the fact that not all body fat carries the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
“Our prior work shows that belly fat, rather than fat under the skin, drives much of obesity’s impact on the brain,” he said. “Future studies should distinguish between these fat types instead of treating obesity as a single category.”
“Our prior work shows that belly fat, rather than fat under the skin, drives much of obesity’s impact on the brain.”
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel, who was not involved in the research, said he considers this a “very important study.”
“I think this finding makes complete sense, because obesity leads directly to inflammation and insulin resistance, which provoke neuro inflammation — one of the pillars of Alzheimer’s development,” he told Fox News Digital.
Other risk factors that often coincide with obesity — such as diabetes, hypertension and inflammation — may also contribute to Alzheimer’s biomarker changes. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.
The study sample was relatively small and specific, and may not represent the general population. Also, the BMI measurement can’t distinguish between fat and muscle mass or reflect differences in fat distribution that may influence Alzheimer’s risk.
The study also relies on observational data, which can reveal associations but can’t prove that obesity directly causes faster Alzheimer’s pathology, the researchers noted.
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Other risk factors that often coincide with obesity — such as diabetes, hypertension and inflammation — may also contribute to Alzheimer’s biomarker changes.
This initial research sparks the need for larger studies in more diverse populations with longer follow-ups.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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