Obesity is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow – modified by physical activity

Knight, Silvin P.; Laird, Eamon; Williamson, Wilby; O'Connor, John; Newman, Louise; Carey, Daniel; De Looze, Celine; Fagan, Andrew J.; Chappell, Michael A.; Meaney, James F.; Kenny, Rose Anne

Abstract

This study examined the associations of body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist circumference (WC), and physical activity (PA) with gray matter cerebral blood flow (CBFGM) in older adults. Cross-sectional data was used from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (n = 495, age 69.0 ±7.4 years, 52.1% female). Whole-brain CBFGM was quantified using arterial spin labeling MRI. Results from multivariable regression analysis revealed that an increase in BMI of 0.43 kg/m2, WHR of 0.01, or WC of 1.3 cm were associated with the same reduction in CBFGM as 1 year of advancing age. Participants overweight by BMI or with high WHR/WC reporting low/moderate PA had up to 3 ml/100g/min lower CBFGM (p ≤ .011); there was no significant reduction for those reporting high PA. Since PA could potentially moderate obesity/CBF associations, this may be a cost-effective and relatively easy way to help mitigate the negative impact of obesity in an older population, such as cerebral hypoperfusion, which is an early mechanism in vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Citation

Knight, S. P., Laird, E., Williamson, W., O'Connor, J., Newman, L., Carey, D., De Looze, C., Fagan, A. J., Chappell, M. A., Meaney, J. F., & Kenny, R. A. (2021). Obesity is associated with reduced cerebral blood flow – modified by physical activity. Neurobiology of Aging, 105, 35-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.04.008

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 13, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Apr 22, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Deposit Date: Jan 14, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 17, 2025
• Journal: Neurobiology of Aging
• Print ISSN: 0197-4580
• Electronic ISSN: 1558-1497
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 105
• Pages: 35-47
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.04.008
• Keywords: Cerebral blood flow, Obesity, Physical activity, Cerebral perfusion, Arterial spin labeling MRI
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5504995
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458021001238?via%3Dihub