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Belly Fat | How to Prevent Brain Cells from Dying

Heart disease is often blamed on genetics (the moms, dads, and grandparents), BUT over 360,000 Americans manage to kill themselves each year from the food they eat.

Cardiovascular disease is the country’s number one killer and coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease (where plaque-filled arteries literally choke off oxygen to your heart) leads the way.
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Coronary heart disease accounts for 1 in 7 deaths in the United States per year. But plaque not only builds up in your coronary arteries, it builds up in the vessels of your brain as well. And the result? Your brain shrinks.

Junk Food Leads to More Than Waist Gain

Unfortunately, the fat-laden, sugar-heavy junk you consume (and find so addictive) often packs on pounds around your middle. Abdominal obesity has been shown to kill brain cells. According to a study published in the Annals of Neurology, having more belly fat is associated with a decrease in total brain volume in middle-aged adults.

Karen Owoc

Karen Owoc is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and wellness educator specializing in functional longevity, metabolic health, and heart and brain wellness. With experience across cardiology, pulmonary rehabilitation, cancer survivorship exercise, and movement-based healthy aging, she translates medical science into clear, practical guidance – both in her clinical work and in the expert interviews she's led for television and educational programs.