Medical experts have noted in new research that “smart people have smart brains.”
A new study shows that a few simple physical characteristics can keep our brains young.
The new study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) concluded that brain aging is linked to muscle mass and body fat.
The research shows that visceral fat accelerates brain aging, while muscle mass protects the bones.
According to researchers, visceral fat refers to the fat stored deep in the abdomen and around the internal organs.
The study explained that “healthier bodies with more muscle mass and less hidden belly fat are likely to have healthier, youthful brains.”
Senior author of the study and professor of radiology and neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, Cyrus Raji, said: “Better brain health, in turn, lowers the risk of future brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.”
Researchers have reported that brain age can be easily assessed using AI and MRI technology.
As shown by Medical Resonance Imaging MRI, brain age is an estimate of how old the brain biologically appears, based on its structure.
The body MRI can track muscle mass, which serves as a shield to reduce fragility and strengthen overall health.
Dr. Raji noted that since there is a chronological loss of muscle mass and an increase in belly fat, brain aging and brain are also related to muscle loss and healthy muscle fat.
The study highlights that “muscle and fat mass quantified in the body are important indicators of brain health, as evidenced by brain aging.”
The team of RSNA researchers evaluated 1,164 healthy adults (52% women) across four study sites using whole-body MRI, with a mean chronological age of 55.17 years.
An artificial intelligence AI algorithm measured total normalized muscle volume, hidden abdominal or visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat under the skin to predict brain age.
The body fat assessment indicated that individuals with a higher visceral fat to muscle ratio had a higher predicted brain age.
While fat under the skin showed no meaningful association with brain age.
The study concluded that “the participants with more muscle tended to have younger-looking brains, while those with more hidden belly fat relative to their muscle had older-looking brains.”
Dr. Raji suggests, “Losing visceral fat while maintaining muscle volume would have been the best benefit for brain aging and brain health.”
The study highlights that by building healthy muscle and losing excess harmful body fat, people can slow the aging process and keep their brains younger.
