EP311: Fat Bellies and Skinny Brains

Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients. This episode discusses a study finding that both visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat are linked to lower brain volume in middle-aged adults. Visceral fat around the organs and subcutaneous fat under the skin were associated with brain atrophy on MRI scans, especially in women. Excess abdominal fat was found to predict reductions in total gray and white matter as well as specific brain regions. While the effects were small for individuals, trends emerged across large samples. Lifestyle factors like physical activity and diet were not fully accounted for. The research suggests abdominal fat may help explain previously reported connections between obesity and cognitive decline.

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