Men with beer bellies are at a higher risk of dementia.
Beer bellies put men at risk of dementia
Research has revealed that those who carry extra abdominal fat and have a family history of Alzheimer's disease were found to have lower brain function.
Scientists have theorised that higher fat deposits in the pancreas and liver lead to an increased risk of the brain condition but no such connection has been established for women.
A team in the US studied 204 healthy middle-aged individuals with a family history of Alzheimer's and made the link between high abdominal fat and reduced cognitive function.
Michal Schnaider Beeri, from Rutgers Health in New Jersey, said: "In middle-aged males at high Alzheimer's risk, but not females, higher pancreatic fat was associated with lower cognition and brain volumes, suggesting a potential sex-specific link between distinct abdominal fat with brain health."