With regards to "Be-Real" comments made, i can say only one thing. Wait until you have some disease or illness that takes ahold of your life and leaves you helpless in many ways. I would like to see your opinion then when your the one fighting for your life. I have seen many healthy people in top shape fall victim to disease and illness. The human body is such a complex machine and all it takes is one little glitch to have problems occur. Not to mention the fact that we each have stresses in life which have different effects on all of us. If find your comments completely uneducated. Its mindsets like yours that prevent the human race from working as a team where everyone can have a better life!! At the end of the day, isn't that what we all want???
Big Belly, Bad Memory
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And if you are at a normal weight but have a gut, you aren't off the hook. The study showed that participants with BMIs of 25 and below who sported a gut were 89 percent more likely to develop dementia than hefty persons without a belly bulge.
That stubborn spare tire is the bane of the middle-aged, especially women. Hormone loss seems to play a role in its development after 40. "It's called the meno-pot," says registered dietitian Kathleen Zelman, director of nutrition for WebMD. "As women lose estrogen, weight gathers in the midsection." Genetics also plays a role in determining whether you are apple-shaped, with a big midsection, or pear-shaped, with a small waist but big buttocks and thighs. And let's not forget stress. A hormone called cortisol, released during the stress response, has also been implicated in developing belly fat.
Researchers aren't quite sure exactly how belly bulge plays a role in dementia, since obesity, with or without a gut, seems to affect Alzheimer's development. Beta-amyloid is a naturally occurring protein that goes awry in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, changing shape and forming plaque that disrupts normal nerve cell processes. Research shows that a high BMI is associated with higher levels of beta-amyloid, says Dr. Sam Gandy, Chair of the Alzheimer's Association Medical and Scientific Advisory Council. (According to the Alzheimer's Association, one in six women and one in 10 men who live to be at least 55 will develop Alzheimer's disease.)
But belly fat is clearly a factor, and scientists have some ideas why. The technical term for the potbelly is visceral fat. Unlike subcutaneous fat, the stuff you can pinch, visceral fat is tucked deeper within the abdomen, surrounding vital organs such as the heart and liver. It is considered particularly dangerous since it is active, producing chemicals that can affect health. Scientists suspect that it plays a role in inflammation, which is linked to insulin resistance, certain cancers and especially cardiovascular problems.
"There are still a lot of unanswered questions about obesity and Alzheimer's," says Gandy. "But unlike family history and age, which are important predictors for Alzheimer's, you can do something about your weight. It's a risk factor that is modifiable."
And there is some good news on that front—so to speak. Visceral fat is especially amenable to diet and exercise. "It's not a stubborn fat," says Dr. Keith Bachman, a weight management expert with Kaiser Permanente's Care Management Institute in Portland, Ore., adding that even a modest weight loss of 5 to 10 percent can reduce obesity-related risks.
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