What is the mechanism that triggers inflammation in the brain, which can lead to dementia or strokes? A team of researchers who have been studying the impact of obesity on the brain for several years show that abdominal fat promotes brain inflammation in male mice, while subcutaneous fat transplantation reduces their brain inflammation.
The differential distribution of fat between men and women would offer a considerable advantage to the latter. According to a study published in the revue Diabetestheir propensity to deposit more fat in places such as the hips, buttocks and the back of the arms, called subcutaneous fat, protects them once morest inflammation of the brain until menopause. On the contrary, men generally have a much higher risk of inflammation-related problems (from heart attack to stroke) because of the abdominal distribution of their fatty tissue.
To test the hypothesis that localization of fat in women would protect them from inflammation, male and female mice on a high-fat diet underwent subcutaneous fat surgery (type liposuction), aiming to eliminate it. ” When we took subcutaneous fat out of the equation, all of a sudden women’s brains started showing inflammation the same way men’s brains did, and women gained more visceral fat. », Explain Alexis M. Stranahan, doctor of neuroscience and co-author of the study.
Brain protection until menopause
« In comparison, it was only following menopause that women who had not had subcutaneous fat removed, but who had been on a high-fat diet, experienced levels of brain inflammation similar to those of men “, she continues. However, removing subcutaneous fat at an early age in mice on a low-fat diet did not induce signs of inflammation in the brain. It therefore seems that a high-fat diet and liposuction are risk factors for inflammation of the brain.