Fat Hormone Could Protect Against Alzheimer’s

New research suggests leptin, a hormone that regulates the appetite, may guard against Alzheimer’s disease. The study was inspired by previous data relating body weight to the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Other studies have shown that people with Alzheimer’s had lower leptin levels. However, studies didn’t conclude which came first, the lower leptin levels or the declining mental function. In the research, leptin not only produced a feeling of satiety but also had a positive effect on the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that plays a role in aspects of memory.

In a study of 785 participants over 7.7 years, leptin and Alzheimer’s diagnoses were tracked. Researchers found that higher leptin levels were associated with lower incidence of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The 25 percent of participants with the lowest leptin levels had a 25 percent risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to only six percent for those with the highest leptin levels. Lead author Dr. Sudha Seshadri says, “We’re not recommending that anyone get leptin to increase leptin levels until other cohort studies substantiate our findings.” While they cannot say what effect leptin has on the aging brain, it does support past evidence that there may be a correlation between the chemicals produced by the brain when gaining or losing weight and Alzheimer’s disease.