Obesity may impair cognitive abilities
Obesity concerns now extend beyond waistline, findings have shown. According to the findings of a new study, middle-aged adults who are obese and have high blood pressure or blood sugar run a higher risk of memory loss later in life.
The study, conducted on over 6,000 middle-aged British men and women suggests that obese middle-aged adults with high blood pressure or other health concerns suffer 23 percent faster decline in memory and thinking skills as against peers who are not obese.
The study
For the purpose of the study, researchers collected details the participants' body mass index and metabolic activity. The cognitive scores were recorded using memory, reasoning and verbal test taken three times over 10 years until 2009.
60 percent of the participants were obese and metabolically abnormal. They were reportedly suffering from two or more health conditions, namely high blood pressure, low HDL, high blood sugar levels and/or levels of fats in the blood.
Other obese participants were metabolically normal.
Combining obesity and metabolic scores with cognitive scores revealed that obese patients who are metabolically abnormal experienced a 22.5 percent faster memory loss than normal weight participants with no metabolic abnormality.
Likewise, metabolically normal obese individuals also experienced a rapid memory decline.
"All of these [obese] individuals, whether they were metabolically healthy or not healthy, had a poor cognitive profile," study author Dr. Archana Singh-Manoux, research director at Inserm, the French research institute in Paris averred.
"We all know that piling on the pounds is bad for your physical health, but this robust study suggests that it is bad for the head as well as the heart," the U.K. Alzheimer's Society added. "The best way of reducing your risk of developing dementia is to eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked."
The findings of the study are reported in the August 21 issue of Neurology
The study, conducted on over 6,000 middle-aged British men and women suggests that obese middle-aged adults with high blood pressure or other health concerns suffer 23 percent faster decline in memory and thinking skills as against peers who are not obese.
The study
For the purpose of the study, researchers collected details the participants' body mass index and metabolic activity. The cognitive scores were recorded using memory, reasoning and verbal test taken three times over 10 years until 2009.
60 percent of the participants were obese and metabolically abnormal. They were reportedly suffering from two or more health conditions, namely high blood pressure, low HDL, high blood sugar levels and/or levels of fats in the blood.
Other obese participants were metabolically normal.
Combining obesity and metabolic scores with cognitive scores revealed that obese patients who are metabolically abnormal experienced a 22.5 percent faster memory loss than normal weight participants with no metabolic abnormality.
Likewise, metabolically normal obese individuals also experienced a rapid memory decline.
"All of these [obese] individuals, whether they were metabolically healthy or not healthy, had a poor cognitive profile," study author Dr. Archana Singh-Manoux, research director at Inserm, the French research institute in Paris averred.
"We all know that piling on the pounds is bad for your physical health, but this robust study suggests that it is bad for the head as well as the heart," the U.K. Alzheimer's Society added. "The best way of reducing your risk of developing dementia is to eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked."
The findings of the study are reported in the August 21 issue of Neurology
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