Big Bellies Raise Risk of Alzheimer's

People who have big bellies in middle age have a much greater risk of getting Alzheimer's or dementia as senior citizens, a new study says. The bigger the belly, the bigger the risk, reports the Washington Post. The findings raise more concern about America's expanding waist lines and offer more proof that fat around the abdomen is especially harmful.

"If these findings are replicated and better understood, it looks like an unhealthy brain could be another consequence of this epidemic of obesity," said an official of the National Institute on Aging. The study, conducted on 6,000 people in California, suggests that stomach fat may hurt the brain in much the same way it contributes to heart disease—by raising blood pressure and restricting blood flow. (More Alzheimer's disease stories.)