Healthy vascular fat in menopause may help protect against dementia
Healthy vascular fat in menopause may help protect against dementia
The composition of fat an individual has around the time of menopause can affect how likely they are to experience cognitive difficulties later in life, a new study suggests.
Okay this is different. Vascular fat has always been considered bad for us, but apparently not all fat cells are the same (white, beige and brown).
White fat is denser than brown fat. But how brown and white fat distribution affects health postmenopause has previously proved difficult to study as imaging is difficult.
Scientists took images using electron beam CT scanning of the heart and aorta and carried out tests to determine fat density at three different sites: inside the sac surrounding the heart, fat located outside that sac, and on the fat that surrounds the aorta, the body’s largest artery leading away from the heart.
They discovered that the greater the amount of brown fat discovered around the aorta during midlife and menopause in the women, the higher the cognition of these women later in life.
Next time I have a CT scan I’m gonna ask about that!!
Very interesting!!