366 - Fat may secretly fuel Alzheimer’s, new research finds ScienceDaily October 3, 2025 Houston Methodist
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/10/251003033915.htm .
New research from Houston Methodist reveals how obesity may directly drive Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists discovered that tiny messengers released by fat tissue, called extracellular vesicles, can carry harmful signals that accelerate the buildup of amyloid-β plaques in the brain. These vesicles even cross the blood–brain barrier, making them powerful but dangerous connectors between body fat and brain health.
The findings were published on October 2 in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association under the title "Decoding Adipose-Brain Crosstalk: Distinct Lipid Cargo in Human Adipose-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Modulates Amyloid Aggregation in Alzheimer's Disease." The study explores how obesity, which affects about 40% of Americans, may contribute to the neurodegenerative disorder that currently impacts more than 7 million people in the U.S.
The researchers discovered that these vesicles carry different lipid molecules in people with obesity compared to lean individuals. Those differences appear to influence how quickly amyloid-β proteins clump together in the brain. Using both mouse models and samples of human body fat, the scientists examined how these membrane-bound particles move through the body and affect brain processes. Remarkably, these tiny messengers can even cross the blood-brain barrier, enabling direct communication between fat tissue and the brain.
