Excessive abdominal fat linked to SHOCKING problem for the brain, stunning research reveals
(NaturalHealth365) Obesity is not an unusual phenomenon in the Western world. For example, in the United States, you’re actually MORE likely to meet a person carrying around extra body fat than not, with about 75% of adult males, 60% of adult females, and 30% of children falling into the overweight or obese category.
These figures are shocking, to say the least. But perhaps more alarming is recent research revealing how excess body fat impacts the brain. Studies have found that higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with changes in brain structure and function across all ages.
In children, higher BMI correlates with reduced working memory performance and smaller gray matter volume in areas related to memory and cognitive control. Similarly, research on adults shows that higher BMI and waist-to-hip ratios are linked to overall gray matter atrophy, with specific reductions in regions tied to cognition and reward.
In short, carrying extra body fat doesn’t just affect physical health – it may be shrinking the brain.
Research reveals the shocking association between obesity and brain health
The researchers of a study published in Neurology analyzed brain MRI imaging of 9,652 people, 19% of whom were obese or overweight (they measured body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and total fat mass to help determine this). It turns out that having a high BMI plus a high waist-to-hip ratio (indicating a greater amount of abdominal fat) makes you more likely to have lower gray matter volume in your brain.
If you’re wondering, gray matter contains a majority of the nerve cells in your brain and is important for everything from self-control to physical movement. Loss of gray matter and overall brain shrinkage are associated with things like dementia and other cognitive health problems.
Incredibly, these changes remained even after the researchers adjusted for other factors known to affect brain mass, including age, physical activity levels, high blood pressure, and smoking. They conclude: “The combination of heightened BMI and WHR may be an important risk factor for gray matter atrophy.”
While the researchers acknowledge that they have a bit of the “chicken or the egg” conundrum – ‘Did the brain shrinkage lead to obesity or did obesity lead to brain shrinkage?’ – we certainly think it’s reasonable to assume the latter, considering that we know so many other ways being overweight can impact brain health and mental function.
The connection between BMI, brain structure, and cognitive performance in children
In even more recent research, scientists explored the effect of obesity on children’s brain health. They found that higher BMI was associated with poorer working memory performance and smaller gray matter volumes in key brain areas, including the left superior frontal gyrus, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and medial orbital frontal cortex.
Children with higher BMI also showed weaker activation in the caudate, amygdala, and other brain regions involved in memory tasks. Specifically, the dysfunction in the caudate appeared to mediate the relationship between higher BMI and lower working memory accuracy.
This study on children supports the growing body of evidence that higher body fat not only affects physical health but also impacts brain function. Interestingly, these brain changes were linked to poorer memory abilities, suggesting that obesity in childhood may have long-term implications for cognitive development.
Other surprising ways abdominal fat impacts your brain function
Having excess body fat is linked with an increased risk for serious health conditions, including diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and heart disease. But it also can hurt your head, too!
For instance, being overweight has been shown to:
- Lead to a “tolerance” to sugary and fried foods (much like people who use drugs become tolerant to their drug of choice and need more and more of it to get the same high-inducing effects), which is believed to be a major driver of food addiction
- Decrease the size of a part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex (necessary for controlling impulsivity), which can lead to uncontrolled eating
- Impair memory, likely due to hormones released by fat cells that trigger inflammation and damage tissues
The takeaway here is simple and direct: maintaining lean body weight is good for you from head to toe. So, commit to a balanced whole foods (organic) diet, stay physically active – regularly, and do everything you can to reduce the level of (chronic) stress you experience.
Remember, you deserve to be happy, healthy, and energetic – all the days of your life.
Sources for this article include:
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