New research shows that reducing belly fat can slow brain aging – Muscle & Fitness

We all know that a shredded six-pack can do wonders for our physical appearance, but new research suggests that reducing belly fat can actually slow brain aging, meaning a lean upper body could be good for our mental health too. Still, simply relying on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic can be harmful. Here’s what you need to know. Results released by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) show that physiques with higher muscle mass and relatively little visceral fat have a younger brain age. Visceral fat is the fatty tissue stored around the organs and deep in the abdomen. Conversely, subcutaneous fat, which was stored more locally under the skin, had no significant effect on brain age, the scientists say.

“Healthier bodies with more muscle mass and less hidden belly fat are more likely to have healthier, youthful brains,” explained senior author of the groundbreaking study, Cyrus Raji, MD, Ph.D., associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. “Better brain health, in turn, lowers the risk of future brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.” These findings will now be presented at the RSNA Annual Meeting.

Maintaining a youthful brain age is important to all of us and can be measured with a structural MRI brain scan. Older brain age is often associated with negative consequences such as frailty and a greater risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Staying in shape can be good for your appearance on the outside, but losing excess body fat can also protect you enormously from the inside.

How was the research conducted?

1,164 healthy individuals with an average age of 55 were scanned using MRI and T1-weighted sequences (a process to help visualize fat) to compare their brain health with their body composition. An artificial intelligence program then analyzed the statistics to find a pattern between visceral fat and brain age.

What were the results?

“The participants with more muscle tended to have younger-looking brains, while those with more hidden belly fat relative to their muscle had older-looking brains,” explains Dr. Raji out. “The fat just under the skin was not related to brain aging. In short, more muscle and a lower ratio of visceral fat to muscle were linked to younger brains.”

This information is even more important now that people are turning to GLP-1-like weight loss drugs like Ozempic. Although these medications have been shown to reduce body fat, they often result in decreased muscle mass if the individual does not exercise. “Losing fat – especially visceral fat – while maintaining muscle volume would have the best benefit in terms of brain aging and brain health, based on insights from our work,” concluded Dr. Raji. “Thus, our research may inform future treatments by advancing research that quantifies MRI of body fat, muscle and brain age, which may help determine the optimal dosing regimens for GLP-1s to achieve the best outcomes in body and brain health.”

That beach body has never been more desirable!