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It is easy enough to gain weight as you get older. Metabolisms slow down, hormones change and people generally become less physically active and sedentary as they get older. But inevitably, this does not mean that fattening does not involve serious risks. In addition to the increased risk of heart disease (the leading cause of death for both men and women in America), weight gain can seriously harm another, perhaps more vital organ – your brain. According to a new study, as the body gets bigger, the brain contracts.
Cortical thinning, the phenomenon cited in the study, refers to atrophy of the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain where almost all of the information processing takes place. The smaller the cortex, the higher the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases. Scientists have realized that there is a link between healthy weight and optimal brain health, but few studies have examined the direct role weight could play. According to what we already know about the cerebral cortex, the author and neurologist of the study, Tatjana Rundek, thought that obesity could be related to a thinning of cortical and global cerebral atrophy.
To test this, Rundek and his team recruited 1,289 people to compare their body and brain over time. At the beginning of the study, their BMI and waist circumference were measured and six years later, participants' brains were scanned with MRI to measure cortex thickness and volume. cerebral. Of a total of people, 571 people had a BMI between 25 and 30, which is considered overweight, and 371 people were considered obese with a BMI equal to or greater than 30. Plus BMI is high , the smaller the cortex, revealed the results. Even after Rundek controlled variables that could alter the cortex, such as high blood pressure, alcohol consumption, and smoking, each increase in BMI was badociated with a Thinner cortex of 0.098 mm for overweight individuals and a thinner cortex at 0.207 mm for obese.
"These badociations were particularly strong among those under 65, supporting the hypothesis that poor health indicators in the home environment may increase the risk of brain aging and memory and thinking problems." end of life, "she warned. . Having a larger size was badociated in the same way with a thinner cortex, thus strengthening the link. To put it in perspective, in aging adults, the overall rate of cortical coat thinning is between 0.01 and 0.10 mm per decade, but these results indicate that overweight or obesity could accelerate this process at least 10 years old.
It should be noted that the study demonstrates a correlation between weight and thinning of the cortex, but scientists are not able to confidently say that gaining weight directly causes thinning of the brain or disease. Alzheimer. The study also focused primarily on older participants aged 64 on average, but the data gives the young man an additional reason to start and maintain healthy habits at an early stage. It's not just about looking good, it's about having a big, beautiful brain.
"These results are exciting because they raise the possibility that by losing weight, people can avoid the aging of their brains and potentially the memory and thinking problems that can occur with aging brain," he said. Rundek. "However, with the increasing number of overweight or obese people in the world and the difficulties experienced with weight loss, it is obvious that it is a concern for public health in the future, as that these people are getting older. "
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The new study reveals that a scary link between weight gain and brain health first appeared on Fatherly.
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