Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, may contribute to brain atrophy and early markers of Alzheimer’s disease, new research found.

Proteins associated with the degenerative illness have been identified in those with the fat, which wraps around the organs

Our study showed that higher visceral fat was associated with higher PET [scan] levels of the two hallmark pathologic proteins of Alzheimer’s disease -- amyloid and tau,” D

People who are obese and harbor deep belly fat are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease-specific proteins in the brain up to 20 years before the earliest dementia symptoms, a new study suggests.

A new study has found people with excessive belly fat may develop Alzheimer’s 20 years earlier - with symptoms not developing for two decades. Scans of obese middle-aged people have shown increased visceral fat correlates to higher amounts of sticky amyloid and tau tangles in the brain - both directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

As the size of a person’s belly grows, the memory center of their brain shrinks and beta amyloid and tau may appear — all of this occurring as early as a person’s 40s and 50s, well before any cognitive decline is apparent,

Visceral fat has been linked to early Alzheimer’s disease pathology, according to a study of midlife individuals. Researchers found this fat significantly increases amyloid and tau protein accumulation,