New research shows that having more muscle and less hidden belly fat is linked to a younger, healthier brain.
The study will be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The scientists found that body composition—especially the amount of muscle and deep belly fat—may be directly related to how well our brain ages.
The lead author, Dr. Cyrus Raji, a professor at Washington University School of Medicine, explained that people with more muscle and less visceral fat (the fat hidden deep inside the belly) tend to have “younger-looking” brains.
This means their brains appear healthier and less aged in MRI scans, which may help lower their risk of brain diseases like Alzheimer’s in the future.
Brain age is an estimate of how old a brain appears based on its structure in medical scans. A younger brain age compared to your actual age is usually a good sign and suggests better brain health. Researchers believe that muscle mass can reflect how well someone is aging and how healthy their brain might be.
For this study, researchers looked at 1,164 healthy people from four locations. About half of them were women, and the average age was just over 55. All the participants had full-body MRI scans.
These scans showed their muscle mass, fat levels, and brain structure. The researchers used an AI program to measure muscle volume, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat (the fat just under the skin), and brain age.
The results showed that people with a higher ratio of visceral fat to muscle had older-looking brains. In contrast, those with more muscle had brains that looked younger. Interestingly, the fat under the skin didn’t seem to affect brain aging.
Dr. Raji explained that these results show a close link between the body and the brain. While getting older normally comes with more belly fat and less muscle, this study shows that these changes can also affect how the brain ages.
The good news is that these things can be changed. Building more muscle and reducing deep belly fat are goals that people can work toward. Doctors could even use full-body MRI scans and AI tools to track these changes over time and see how they affect brain health.
The study also suggests that new treatments, like weight loss drugs such as Ozempic (a GLP-1 medication), should be designed carefully. While these drugs are effective for losing fat, they may also cause some muscle loss.
This is not ideal for brain health. Dr. Raji believes future treatments should try to reduce harmful belly fat while keeping muscle mass as high as possible. That might be the best way to protect both the body and the brain.
In conclusion, having more muscle and less deep belly fat is linked to a younger brain. This study highlights how closely connected body health and brain health really are. It could help scientists and doctors create better treatments that improve both at the same time.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people, and early time-restricted eating could help lose weight.
For more health information, please see recent studies about a simple path to weight loss, and results showing a non-invasive treatment for obesity and diabetes.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
