Body Composition Patterns Linked to Risk of Neurodegenerative Diseases

WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Specific body composition patterns are associated with neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging, according to a study published online July 24 in Neurology.

Shishi Xu, M.D., Ph.D., from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the U.K. Biobank to examine the associations between patterns of body composition and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. The associations between different components and major patterns of body composition with the risk of neurodegenerative diseases was examined.

The researchers identified 8,224 new cases of neurodegenerative diseases among 412,691 participants (mean age, 56.0 years) over an average follow-up of 9.1 years. A lower rate of neurodegenerative diseases was seen in association with patterns identified as "fat-to-lean mass," "muscle strength," "bone density," and "leg-dominant fat distribution" (hazard ratios, 0.74 to 0.94), while a higher rate of neurodegenerative diseases was seen in association with "central obesity" and "arm-dominant fat distribution" patterns (hazard ratios, 1.13 to 1.18). Across different susceptibility groups, stratification analysis yielded comparable risk estimates. Of the observed associations, 10.7 to 35.3 percent were mediated by cardiovascular diseases, especially cerebrovascular diseases. The findings for "central obesity," "muscle strength," and "arm-dominant fat distribution" patterns were corroborated in the subcohort analysis of brain aging biomarkers.

"Our results underscore the feasibility of improving body composition, including mitigating cardiovascular disease burden at an early stage, as a strategy to reduce future neurodegenerative disease risk," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text