Big Belly Linked to Alzheimer's

If you're in your 40s and have a big belly, you're more likely to get Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente. They studied more than 6,000 men. Those who had the most expansive midsections faced more than twice the risk of the leanest. This article from the Washington Post reports that the connection was made between bellies and Alzheimer's, even if the the person wasn't obese. There's a whole bunch of explanation about how fat cells in the belly are worse than fat cells elsewhere because of the proximity to the major organs, but we'll let you read about the fatty details yourself. If you feel a little squishy around the mid-section, maybe you should check out our "health" column.