Is adiposity associated with white matter microstructural health and intelligence differently in males and females?

Abstract

Objective: The role of vascular risk factors in age-related brain degeneration has long been the subject of intense study, but the role of obesity remains understudied. Given known sex differences in fat storage and usage, this study investigates sex differences in the association between adiposity and white matter microstructural integrity, an important early marker of brain degeneration. Methods: This study assesses the associations between adiposity (abdominal fat ratio and liver proton density fat fraction) and brain health (measures of intelligence and white matter microstructure using diffusion-tensor imaging [DTI]) in a group of UK Biobank participants. Results: This study finds that intelligence and DTI metrics are indeed associated with adiposity differently in males and females. These sex differences are distinct from those in the associations of DTI metrics with age and blood pressure. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings suggest that there are inherent sex-driven differences in how brain health is associated with obesity.