If you have a big belly, you may be at risk for Alzheimer’s
Channel: BioBalance Healthcast
Date: 08/01/2024

See all the Healthcasts at https://www.biobalancehealth.com/healthcast-blog
That is a strong statement, however I am confident in saying that belly fat can put you at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, because it is a fact supported by medical research. These studies reveal that obesity, especially abdominal obesity (Beer belly, Gut, “Dunlap’s disease”…..), increases the onset and rate of Alzheimer’s dementia! Another reason to change your lifestyle to benefit your longevity.
Abdominal obesity can come from fat accumulation right underneath your skin (the fat you can pinch between 2 fingers) OR the fat that grows inside your abdomen like an apron draped over the intestines. It is called “visceral fat”, and this type of fat is what places you in the crosshairs for several diseases of aging including Alzheimer’s Disease, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and rapid aging.  A large belly is more common in men, but it is still a risk for women if they develop an apple shaped body.
Below is a picture of visceral fat, and a diagram of what it looks like in an artist’s sketch of a normal weight person. When the yellow fat doubles and triples in thickness the abdomen pushes out to look like a “beer belly”.  
Visceral fat extends from your stomach over the transverse colon and your small intestines like an apron.  This fat pad thickens with alcohol abuse (beer belly), high carbohydrate diet, overeating, junk food, under exercise and creates a large pad of fat that secretes inflammatory cells.  The resulting inflammation is the vehicle that damages your brain leading to Alzheimer’s disease and damages your arteries leading to heart disease and stroke.
The Research: A recent study correlated the size of patient’s belly (visceral belly fat), and obesity with the amount of amyloid plaque (the cause of Alzheimer’s disease) in their brain. This was measured by MRI in the study subjects’ brains.  The age of the patients studied was between 40-60.
The study found that the amount of visceral fat (fat inside your abdomen) is directly correlated with the amount of amyloid plaque and inflammation in the brain!  That causes Alzheimer’s Disease.
If that doesn’t motivate you to lose your belly fat, then you are making a choice to eventually suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a heart attack, a stroke or arthritis.  If you are thinking that you will just wait for “something to happen”, then not making a decision to change your lifestyle is making a decision to take on illness in the future.
We have new medications to help you lose that belly fat and they really work. You should ask your doctor to help you and if they don’t understand the importance of arriving at ideal weight then look for a different doctor who will help you. 
Even with medication you will have to put in the work and self-control to turn down unhealthy foods when others are being unhealthy.  You will also have to add daily exercise to your schedule if you really want to avoid Alzheimer’s Disease, heart attack, stroke and early death. 
The possible meds and habits that can help you lose your “belly”:
• Limit calories and or carbohydrates
• Increase daily exercise
• Diet pills (amphetamines that older patients usually can’t take)
• Xenical (Orlistat)-Side effect is fatty diarrhea
• Qsymia (topiramate/Phentermine) can increase BP
• Contrave for craving (naltrexone/bupropion) can decrease sex-drive
• Semelanotide (Imcivree-new), darkens the skin, expensive
• Metformin ER an oral, effective medication to treat insulin resistance, and promote weight-loss
• Victoza and Saxenda injections are diabetic treatments, that can cause GI reflux, however they work well for patients who have Type II Diabetes who need to lose weight.
Even though many patients lost weight with these medications, many could not tolerate the drugs listed above because of the side effects.  These side effects limited our ability to help all patients lose weight…until now!
Now, for the first time we have an effective way to help most people lose their dangerous visceral (belly fat). If you have a big belly you are at high risk for inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer’s dementia, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke. 
The new weight loss drug’s generic name is Semaglutide, and has been marketed under several names: Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus. A second generic drug that is in the same family of drugs is called Tirzepetide, includes Mounjaro (for diabetics) and Zepbound (for weight loss). All of these drug’s work for weight loss, pre-diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes.  Most insurance companies do not cover weight loss and they require a precertification for you to get the medication covered by insurance.