A new Chinese study published in the journal Neurology suggests that people with high levels of fat in their arms or belly have an increased risk for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Researchers tracked 4,12,691 people, average age 56 years, for almost a decade. Of them, 8,224 developed neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, other forms of dementia, and Parkinson's disease during the follow up. After adjusting for risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, drinking and diabetes, researchers found that people with high levels of belly fat were 13 per cent more likely to develop these neurogenerative diseases. High levels of arm fat increased the risk by 18 per cent.
But there was one characteristic that reduced the risk—muscle strength. Those with high muscle strength were 26 per cent less likely to develop these diseases.
“This study highlights the potential to lessen people's risk of developing these diseases by improving their body composition. Targeted interventions to reduce trunk and arm fat while promoting healthy muscle development may be more effective for protection against these diseases than general weight control,” said the study.