WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The strongest influence of cardiovascular risk and obesity on reduced brain volume is seen between 55 and 64 years of age in men and between 65 and 74 years in women, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
Joseph Nowell, from Imperial College London, and colleagues recruited 34,425 participants between the ages of 45 and 82 years from the U.K. Biobank database to examine the influence of cardiovascular risk and obesity on brain volume in men and women. T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance images were downloaded for all participants; the volumetric changes of the whole brain were characterized.
The researchers found that cardiovascular risk and obesity had the greatest influence on lower gray matter volume between 55 and 64 years of age among men. The greatest effect on lower gray matter volume occurred between ages 65 and 74 years among women. When evaluated separately, the associations remained significant in APOE ε4 carriers and APOE ε4 noncarriers.
“Mitigating cardiovascular risk represents a promising approach to treat or even prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” the authors write. “Targeting cardiovascular risk and obesity a decade earlier in males than females may be imperative for potential candidates to achieve a therapeutic benefit in preventing neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.”
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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