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Lose Belly Fat and Save More than Just Your Six Pack

A new study shows belly fat linked to increased risk of dementia

If you thought the only reason to keep your belly fat to a minimum was to show your abs off at the beach, a new study suggests that keeping abdominal fat under control might help keep your brain healthier as well.

The study of more than 6,000 people, published last week in the journal Neurology, found that the more belly fat the subjects had in their mid-40s, the more likely it was that they would show signs of dementia as they grew older.

Symptoms of dementia can include forgetfulness, confusion, reduced problem-solving capabilities and even difficulty speaking.

The study also found that the research subjects with the biggest guts displayed three-times the risk of developing dementia later in life versus their leaner counterparts.

“Considering that 50 percent of adults in this country have an unhealthy amount of abdominal fat, this is a disturbing finding,” said study author Rachel A. Whitmer, PhD, a Research Scientist of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, CA, and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

Interestingly, having a large abdomen increased the risk of dementia regardless of whether the participants were of normal weight overall, overweight, or obese, and regardless of existing health conditions, including diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. 

An abstract of the study, “Central obesity and increased risk of dementia more than three decades later“ is available online at the journal’s website.

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Keep Those Swimmers Happy: Folate May Help Encourage Healthy Male Sperm

Maybe Popeye only had half of the picture.

New research from the University of California - Berkeley, indicates that eating folate-rich foods, like spinach and other dark, leafy vegetables, might decrease the risk of birth defects not just in women, but in men as well.

“Recent studies have suggested that paternal diet affects sperm count and motility, which is important for conception, but this new study takes it further to say that male diet may be important for healthy offspring as well,” said study coordinator Suzanne Young, a researcher at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. “Our study is the first to look at the effects of diet on chromosomal abnormalities in sperm. These abnormalities would cause either miscarriages or children with genetic syndromes if the sperm fertilized an egg.” 

The researchers are careful to point out that there is only a link between increased folate consumption among males and decreased birth defects in their female partners, not a causal relationship. 

What’s the difference?

Links only demonstrate that something about the research subjects’ diet (which in this case contained higher folate levels) had an impact on decreased birth defects. More controlled studies are necessary to isolate whether folate, or other factors, may have contributed to the improvements in sperm health. Furthermore, to determine with certainty whether folate operates in a similar way in the broader population, researchers are recommending that the study be conducted with a larger group.  

That said, ongoing research suggests that a diverse diet, which includes a wide-range of vegetables (including spinach) has positive health benefits. Good sources of folate include spinach, leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, kidney beans, and orange juice.

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