‘Hidden’ fat could predict Alzheimer’s disease up to 20 years before symptoms, research finds
Fox News
In the latest Alzheimer’s research, hidden fat in various parts of the body was shown to be an early warning sign of the common dementia — as long as 20 years prior to symptoms emerging.
The study findings were presented this week at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting in Chicago. "The good news is these risk factors can be lowered with a healthy lifestyle and routine exercise." Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.
"This crucial result was discovered because we investigated Alzheimer's disease pathology as early as midlife — in the 40s and 50s — when the disease pathology is at its earliest stages, and potential modifications like weight loss and reducing visceral fat are more effective as a means of preventing or delaying the onset of the disease," said lead study author Mahsa Dolatshahi, M.D., post-doctoral research associate at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at the Washington University School of Medicine, in a press release.