Body mass index has long been widely used to assess obesity, but a new study suggests that where fat accumulates may be more important when evaluating brain health and cognitive aging.
Researchers at the Polytechnic University found that visceral fat – the fat stored deep within the abdomen around internal organs – was the most harmful to brain health among the types of body fat examined.
Led by Qiu Anqi, chair professor of neuroinformatics and director of PolyU’s Mental Health Research Centre, the study published in Nature Mental Health analyzed health data from more than 18,000 participants in the UK Biobank.
The team examined how fat stored in different parts of the body was associated with brain structure and cognitive performance.
However, relying on weight or BMI is insufficient.
“Different localized fat deposits cast completely different trajectories on the brain, which are characteristics undetectable by weight or BMI alone,” Qiu said.
