Another Reason To Get On The Treadmill: Obesity and Cognitive Decline Linked

Being obese is well-understood to have a huge impact on your cardiovascular health, your risk of developing diabetes, and also on the health of your children, both born and unborn.

We know that a healthy diet and exercise are important in minimizing your risk of heart attack, stroke and many other health impacts, and obesity has now also been linked to a loss of brain function, in several ways.

International hospitals in Bangkok and other Thailand medical centers see many more obese patients for heart, lung and circulatory complaints than ordinary weight people, and will now begin advising their patients maintaining a healthy weight is also crucial to preserve brain function, help in Alzheimer's prevention and reduce cognitive decline.

The study which made the groundbreaking link between obesity and increased cognitive decline was performed in Toulouse in France, over five years on more than 2200 adult men and women. Even from the start of the trial, it was obvious to the researchers and observing international hospitals in Bangkok that obesity was having an effect on the brain function of the participants.

While those within the normal range for Body Mass Index could recall 55% of the words in a vocabulary test, those classified as obese could only recall 44%. By the end of the study, this had dropped to 37.5%, while the recall rate for those in a healthy weight range remained the same.

The mechanism by which obesity can damage brain function and lead to Alzheimer's treatment at Bangkok international hospitals and cognitive decline is thought to be in hormones secreted by excess fat, according to lead researcher Dr Maxine Cournot.

She also postulated that "since obesity is a widely known cardiovascular risk factor, due to the thickening and hardening of the blood vessels, that the same happens with the arteries in the brain".

From a nutritionist's perspective, it also makes sense that obesity could be associated with impaired brain function and lead to treatment for a variety of conditions at Thailand medical centers and Bangkok international hospitals.

Many of the foods that cause obesity can also be damaging to the nervous system, and it is recognized that the brain, like other organs, needs support from diet and nutrients to maintain good function and repair damage.

In a related study recently, the Medical College of Wisconsin located in Sweden looked at 290 women over a period of 24 years. When the subjects were between 7-0 and 84, their brains were assessed using computed tomography scans like those available in Thai international hospitals for brain function conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

The women with the highest BMI were the most likely to have cerebral deterioration. Brain atrophy, particularly of the temporal lobe was seen, a part of the brain which is often affected by Alzheimer's disease.

The precise risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms, with associated cognitive decline, has been calculated by the study's conductors. For every one point rise in BMI, the risk of atrophy of the temporal lobe seemed to increase by 13-16%.

Other risk factors were also included in the study, including blood pressure, socioeconomic status and whether the women smoked cigarettes among others.

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