This body trait helps keep your brain young: Study

The core finding is that individuals with more muscle and a lower visceral fat-to-muscle ratio tend to have a younger biological brain age.

 

SCIENTISTS discovered that more muscle and less hidden abdominal fat are linked to a younger biological brain age.

 

Deep visceral fat appeared to accelerate brain ageing, while muscle mass offered a protective effect. Researchers report that people who have more muscle and a lower visceral fat-to-muscle ratio tend to show signs of a younger biological brain age.

 

This conclusion comes from a study that will be presented next week at the annual meet­ing of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Visceral fat refers to the fat stored deep in the abdomen around key internal organs.

 

“Healthier bodies with more muscle mass and less hidden belly fat are more likely to have healthier, youthful brains. Better brain health, in turn, lowers the risk for future brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.” said senior study author Cyrus Raji, MD, PhD, as­sociate professor of radiology and neurology in the Department of Radiology at Mallinckrodt Insti­tute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

How MRI Measures Brain Age and Body Composition

 

Brain age is an estimate of how old the brain appears biolog­ically, based on its structure as seen through MRI. Body MRI can track muscle mass, which serves as a marker for efforts to reduce frailty and strengthen overall health. Estimated brain age from structural scans may also shed light on risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, including muscle loss.

 

“While it is commonly known that chronological ageing trans­lates to loss of muscle mass and in­creased hidden belly fat, this work shows that these health measures relate to brain ageing itself,” Dr Raji said.“It shows muscle and fat mass quantified in the body are key reflectors of brain health, as tracked with brain ageing,” added Dr Raji

 

Study Details: Imaging, AI Analysis, and Participant Profile

 

The study evaluated 1,164 healthy adults (52 per cent wom­en) across four research sites using whole-body MRI. Partici­pants had a mean chronological age of 55.17 years. Imaging includ­ed T1-weighted MRI sequences, which highlight fat as bright and fluid as dark, providing a clear view of muscle, fat, and brain tissue.

 

SOURCE: ANI