Every three seconds someone in the world is diagnosed with dementia. While there is no known cure, what has been found is that there are changes that occur in the brain years before dementia is diagnosed.
According to what was published by “Neuroscience News”, the results of a global study, the first of its kind in the world, conducted by scientists from the Australian Center for Precision Health of the University of South Australia, revealed a link between metabolism and brain measures associated with dementia, providing valuable insights into this. the disease.
Obesity, hepatitis and kidney disease
By analyzing data from 26,239 people at the UK Biobank, researchers found that those with obesity related to inflammation or stress in the liver or kidneys had the most negative outcomes in terms of the effect on the brain.
Brain lesions and iron accumulation
The study measured the associations of six diverse metabolic profiles and 39 cardiac metabolic markers with MRI brain scan measures of brain volume, brain lesions and iron accumulation, to identify early risk factors for dementia.
It was found that subjects with metabolic profiles associated with obesity were more likely to be affected after reverse MRI showed lower hippocampal and gray matter volumes, greater burden of brain lesions and higher iron accumulation.
55 million patients
The study adds a new layer of understanding of brain health, says lead researcher Dr. Amanda Lumsden, noting that “dementia is a debilitating disease that affects more than 55 million people worldwide.”
Dr Lumsden added: “Understanding the metabolic factors and profiles associated with dementia-related brain changes can help identify early risk factors for dementia, which adverse neuroimaging patterns have revealed are more prevalent among people with metabolic types associated with obesity.
intriguing
Dr Lumsden explained that these people also had an elevated BMR, which is the amount of energy the human body needs at rest in order to support its basic functions, but intriguingly, BMR appears to contribute to harmful brain markers in addition to the effects of obesity. .”
A new understanding of brain health
Professor Elina Hypponen, senior researcher at the University of South Australia, says the discovery offers a new avenue for understanding brain health, as the results of the study suggest that metabolic profiles are linked to aspects of brain health. Associations with several individual biomarkers have also been discovered, which can provide clues to the processes that lead to dementia.