A recent study led by researchers at Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, reveals that obesity may accelerate progression of Alzheimer’s disease as measured by blood biomarkers. The analysis tracked 407 participants for five years, combining amyloid PET brain scans and blood tests to monitor Alzheimer’s-linked biomarker changes. The study was presented at the RSNA 2025 annual meeting.
Findings indicated that individuals classified as obese experienced increases in key Alzheimer’s biomarkers up to 95% faster than participants without obesity. Specifically, levels of pTau217 (a tau-related biomarker) and neurofilament light chain (NfL, a marker of neuronal injury) rose significantly faster in the obese group.Over time, obesity was also associated with a more rapid accumulation of amyloid pathology in the brain.
The researchers noted that baseline biomarker values and amyloid burden appeared lower in obese individuals — a discrepancy attributed to dilution effects from higher blood volume — underscoring the importance of longitudinal tracking rather than single-time measurements.
According to the report, blood-based biomarker tests captured the effect of obesity on Alzheimer’s pathology more sensitively than imaging alone. This suggests that such blood tests could become valuable tools for early detection and monitoring of disease progression, especially in individuals with known risk factors like obesity.
Given the growing global prevalence of obesity, the study highlights the importance of lifestyle and metabolic health as potentially modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s. Public health experts point out that addressing obesity could help slow or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s in at-risk populations.
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