The study, conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, focused on 94 participant ages 70 and older who were overweight or obese. Overweight participants had a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 25 to 29.9, while obese participants had a BMI of 30 or higher. A BMI measurement between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered "normal."
Participants were given brain scans at the beginning of the study and then again five years later. Researchers used the two scans to assess the impact of obesity and weight gain on brain volume.
According to study results, overweight patients lost 4 percent of the tissue in the frontal lobes of their brains when compared with peers of normal weight. Obese patients experienced twice the brain loss - 8 percent less tissue - in the frontal lobes. The frontal lobe is essential in such activities as maintaining attention and planning.
Researchers also concluded that obese people's brains looked 16 years older than those of lean people, while the brains of overweight people looked eight years older.
Cyrus Raji, lead author of the study, "Brain Structure and Obesity," commented: "The key thing is, good vascular health equals good brain health. What's bad for the heart also is bad for the brain.
"Two things are special about this study," she said. "We have very high-resolution brain scans of people, so you can see the structures well. We also have advanced computer techniques to map every part of the brain with a three-dimensional mapping technique that couldn't be done before."
(Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Labels: obesity, elderly, science
Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments