Belly Fat and Aging: New Scientific Discoveries

In today’s world, where the problems of excess weight are becoming increasingly common, scientists are paying special attention to the relationship between fat deposits and aging processes in the body. Recent studies show that belly fat is not just a cosmetic issue, but a serious factor affecting the rate of aging and the risk of developing age-related diseases.

Discovery of a New Type of Stem Cells

A breakthrough study published in the prestigious scientific journal Science shed light on the mechanisms linking age and fat accumulation in the abdominal area. Scientists from the University of California and the City of Hope National Medical Center research center identified the key cellular mechanism of this process. Researchers discovered a new type of stem cells called CP-A (age-specific preadipocyte cells), which appear in middle age and begin actively producing new fat cells. This discovery contradicts the generally accepted notion that stem cell activity usually decreases with age. “While most adult stem cells show reduced growth capacity with age, APCs (adipocyte precursor cells) exhibit the opposite—their aging actually activates their ability to develop and proliferate,” explained Dr. Adolfo Garcia-Ocana, Chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology at City of Hope.

Mechanism of Age-Related Fat Accumulation

To understand the process, scientists conducted a series of experiments on mice. They transplanted APCs from young and old mice into another group of young counterparts. The results were surprising: stem cells from old mice immediately began producing a significant number of fat cells, regardless of the host organism’s age. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the researchers compared gene activity in APCs from young and older mice. They found that in young mice these cells were almost inactive, but in middle-aged mice they began intensively producing new fat cells. Importantly, analogous CP-A cells were also found in the tissues of middle-aged humans, confirming the relevance of this mechanism for the human body.

Visceral Fat and Systemic Inflammation

Researchers at the University of Bern in Switzerland discovered another mechanism linking belly fat to aging. They found that visceral fat (located in the abdominal cavity around internal organs) promotes the development of low-grade chronic inflammation, which accelerates body aging and weakens the immune system. Special immune cells—eosinophils—play a key role in this process. With age, their number in visceral adipose tissue decreases, while the number of pro-inflammatory macrophages increases. This imbalance causes belly fat to become a source of compounds that promote systemic inflammation. Mouse experiments showed that transplanting eosinophils from young animals into old ones reduced not only local but also systemic inflammation, exerting a rejuvenating effect on the organism.

Link to Alzheimer’s Disease

Particularly alarming was the finding presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Scientists discovered that visceral fat can signal an Alzheimer’s disease risk up to 20 years before the first symptoms appear. A study involving 80 middle-aged individuals with normal cognitive function showed that higher levels of visceral fat were associated with increased amyloid content in the brain—a protein-polysaccharide complex characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. “Higher levels of visceral fat were linked to elevated levels of two hallmark pathological proteins of Alzheimer’s disease—amyloid and tau protein,” said lead author Mahsa Dolatshahi. “Our study is the only one to demonstrate these results in middle age, when our participants were several decades away from the first symptoms of dementia.”

Prospects for Medicine and Public Health

The obtained results open new possibilities for developing methods to combat age-related obesity and its associated diseases. Understanding the role of CP-A in metabolic disorders and the mechanism of their appearance with age may lead to new therapeutic approaches. “Our results underscore the importance of controlling the emergence of new fat cells to fight age-related obesity,” noted Dr. Qun Wang, co-author of the study. Experts also found that the impact of visceral fat on the development of amyloid pathology is partially mitigated in people with higher levels of “good” cholesterol (high-density lipoproteins). This suggests that lifestyle changes and the use of appropriate medications can improve brain blood flow and potentially reduce Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Practical Recommendations

Based on the presented studies, several practical recommendations can be formulated for maintaining health and slowing down aging processes:

1. Weight control, especially waist circumference, is an important factor for reducing the risk of age-related diseases.
2. Maintaining a healthy level of “good” cholesterol through proper nutrition and physical activity is necessary.
3. Regular physical exercise helps not only to control weight but also to improve brain blood flow.
4. A balanced diet limiting foods that promote inflammatory processes can reduce the negative impact of visceral fat.

Thus, recent scientific studies convincingly demonstrate that belly fat is not merely a cosmetic issue but a serious health risk factor that triggers premature aging processes and the development of age-related diseases, including severe neurodegenerative pathologies.