Fat stored in the thigh muscle plays a unique role in cognitive decline and could contribute to mental decline as you age, according to a new study.

According to a new study, 5-year increase in fat stored in the thigh muscle could be a risk factor for faster and more cognitive decline as you grow older.

The experience of cognitive decline can be extremely challenging and frightening for those affected by it.

Identifying the early signs of cognitive decline is critical as it can potentially progress to Alzheimer’s dementia and other neurological conditions.

Emerging research indicates that the degree of fat within the muscle tissue, also known as muscle adiposity, could serve as an indicator of an individual’s propensity for cognitive deterioration as they grow older.

In a study featured in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a 5-year increment in the amount of fat stored in the thigh muscle was found to be a predictor of cognitive decline.

This risk was independent of total body weight, additional fat deposits, muscle features (such as strength or mass), and standard dementia risk factors.

In the study, researchers measured muscle fat in 1,634 adults between the ages of 69 and 79 at the 1-year and 6-year mark and assessed their cognitive function at the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 8-year, and 10-year marks.

An increase in muscle adiposity from the first to the sixth year was linked to a more rapid cognitive decline over time. The results were consistent across Black and white individuals, regardless of gender.

The corresponding author, Dr. Caterina Rosano, MD, MPH, from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health, said, the findings of the study reveal “that muscle adiposity plays a unique role in cognitive decline, distinct from that of other types of fat or other muscle characteristics.”

“If that is the case,” the author highlighted, “then the next step is to understand how muscle fat and the brain ‘talk’ to each other, and whether reducing muscle adiposity can also reduce dementia risk.”

Source: 10.1111/jgs.18419

Image Credit: Getty