Khaberni - Obesity accelerates the increase of blood biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease at a much faster rate than previously thought, according to the findings of a new study from the University of Washington.
The increased blood volume in individuals with obesity contributes to higher levels of Alzheimer's biomarkers.
The study, the first on how obesity affects the blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, indicated that obesity is associated with faster increases by between 29% and 95% in tau protein, one of the biomarkers of Alzheimer's.
Neurodegeneration
Long-term imaging and plasma data show that individuals with obesity experience much faster increases in proteins associated with neurodegeneration and amyloid accumulation.
According to "Science Daily", to explore this relationship, researchers relied on 5 years of data from 407 volunteers in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, who provided positron emission tomography scans for amyloid detection, as well as blood samples.
Over the years, both plasma tau 217 protein concentrations and positron emission tomography scans of the brain showed greater accumulation of symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease in participants with obesity compared to those without.
Alzheimer's biomarkers
Obesity was also associated with a faster increase by 24% in NfL protein levels in plasma, and a faster increase by 3.7% in amyloid protein accumulation.
Dr. Suhail Mohamdi, the lead researcher, pointed out that the increased blood volume in those with obesity is a contributing factor in the elevation of proteins associated with Alzheimer's.
He added, "The way obesity affects the development of amyloid burden and associated changes in the blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease has important implications for how doctors assess and manage risks."
