Overview
- Using five years of Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative data, researchers reported pTau217 rose 29–95% faster, NfL about 24% faster, and amyloid by 3.7% in participants with obesity.
- At baseline, people with obesity showed lower blood biomarker levels and less amyloid on PET, which investigators attributed to dilution from higher blood volume.
- In this dataset, plasma assays captured obesity‑related Alzheimer’s trajectories more sensitively than amyloid PET, according to the authors.
- The results were presented at the Radiological Society of North America meeting and are preliminary pending peer‑reviewed publication and replication in larger, more diverse cohorts.
- Separately, a small Arizona State University study of 30 young adults found lower circulating choline and higher inflammatory markers and NfL in those with obesity, suggesting a potential metabolic marker that warrants further study.