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A lot of eating not only can make you overweight to obesity, if you have reached the status of obesity, the risk is not only a variety of serious diseases, but also reduce the ability of the brain.
A surprising fact is revealed related to the problem of being overweight or obese. Those who are obese are said to have 10 years older brains, especially those who are already middle-aged. Is that right?
Usually, obesity is associated with heart disease, diabetes, or stroke. However, it turns out more than that. According to one study, obesity is believed to affect the "age" of the brain, which means the loss of some material in the brain faster than actual age. Simply put, brain aging occurs faster.
According to a recent study, "white matter" in the brain that functions to allow communication between various areas of the brain is lost. Actually, this condition naturally occurs as an impact of the aging process. However, for obese people, the area has degraded 10 years earlier than people who have normal weight.
Obese people are more at risk of developing Alzheimer's
A decrease in the volume of white substance in the brain will actually begin to occur when you enter the age of 30 years. As age increases, the volume of white substance will decrease. When the white substance in the brain decreases, brain cells cannot communicate well with each other. That way, the signal given may not arrive and finally the desired response will not occur. A decrease in white substance is also considered as one of the symptoms and signs of the incidence of dementia which will later lead to Alzheimer's.
The link between obesity and brain degradation
Before reaching this conclusion, researchers from Cambridge University, England, conducted experiments with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and questionnaires such as IQ tests to participants. This study compared the brains of individuals with different weight. Divided into two categories - normal weight and obesity - researchers found differences in the two groups.
Their findings were that people who were overweight or who had a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher had far less white matter than people with normal weight. The authors note, the fact that the effect is very similar to what will happen with normal aging, it's just that it's faster.
When they calculate differences between age groups, their observations are clearly confirmed. A person who is overweight at the age of 50 for example, has a problem related to white matter that is comparable to someone who is 60 years old.
However, this study found that the degradation of white matter in the brain is more susceptible to people aged 50 years and above or middle aged. This shows that the brain may be very vulnerable to obesity-related damage during this period of life.
However, the results of the study are not perfect
Although the results are quite surprising, this study found no differences in cognitive function between the two groups. The main author, Lisa Ronan, Ph.D., said that this was an important warning in their results.
"Until we can uncover the links between the two, do not immediately be aware of the findings of this study. However, it is reasonable to question whether BMI can increase the risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia, "Lisa said.
In addition, in obese people who lose white matter, this study is not able to show what happened first; whether obesity or loss of white matter. This study only speculates whether obesity might be in various ways causing changes in the brain or whether obesity is a consequence of changes in the brain.
Based on the findings of this study, Lisa said that adults are encouraged to consider examining brain scans. The results may be able to show that being overweight can have a negative impact on health, and motivate to regain ideal body weight.
One researcher who was also involved in this study, Paul Fletcher, PhD, also stated in a press release, "We live in an aging population, with increasing obesity. So, it's important to know how these two factors might be related because of the consequences of health can be so serious, it's also important to find out whether these changes can be restored with weight loss. "
Although the study is not perfect, but it never hurts to achieve and maintain an ideal body weight to avoid various threats of health problems, including the possibility of a brain 10 years older. If you have difficulty losing weight, you should consider consulting a nutritionist so that the diet can be adjusted according to your body's condition and profile.
