World Alzheimer’s Day, medical professionals expressed alarm about the rising obesity rate and its link to dementia cases.
It is well-known that obesity is the root cause of all diseases, and that obesity in middle age is a recognised risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
“Being overweight or obese has a deleterious impact on the health of the brain, particularly in the areas most susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease’s impacts. If Alzheimer’s disease were to arise, this might increase its symptoms, according to Dr. Haritha Koganti, consultant neurologist at KIMS Hospitals.
The greater the levels of brain cell death and the lower the cerebral blood flow were observed in overweight or obese patients who had no or mild cognitive impairment.
Leptin and insulin resistance are known to increase in those who are obese. Adipose tissue produces the peptide hormone leptin, which primarily controls food intake. Dr. Gowri Shankar Bapanapalli, Consultant General Physician, SLG Hospitals, stated that leptin, through negative feedback, reduces the insulin release and increases tissue sensitivity to it, resulting in glucose uptake for energy utilisation or storage and chronic low grade inflammation in blood vessels of various organs, including the brain.
