Being obese increases the risk of brain atrophy

Being obese increases the risk of brain atrophy

Obesity means excess of body fat that is 20 percent or more over a person's ideal weight. Obesity strains the cardiovascular system and increases the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and elevated lipid levels. According to a new article published in Medicine Net, obesity is harmful to the brain of women, but it doesn't appear to raise the risk of dying of men who have suffered heart attacks.

Now researchers have also found that being overweight in your 40s may lead to higher rates of dementia as you reach your 60s and 70s. Extra weight seems to be more dangerous for women than men. As per the study, it was found that, dementia risk increased by 30 percent in obese men, while the risk was twice as high for obese women. Researchers pointed out that they adjusted their figures for heart disease, diabetes and other conditions which could lead to dementia.

According to one study in Sweden, it was found that being overweight or obese throughout adulthood increases the risk of brain atrophy. The researchers followed 290 Swedish women over a period of 24 years and did scans of their brains at the end of that period - when they were between the ages of 70 and 84. The obese women have a loss of brain tissue in the temporal lobe, a part of the brain involved in several cognitive functions, including language, comprehension and memory.

Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and diabetes, conditions that can contribute to blood vessel damage and blockages in the heart as well as to the brain.

Beyond that, fat tissue is metabolically active, in that it increases levels of various hormones and other substances that can contribute to brain cells death. And the temporal lobe appears to be highly susceptible to blood vessel blockages and other vascular brain diseases. Brain cells death in the temporal lobe appears to precede or accompany dementia.

Are you at risk? The researchers found that a higher BMI (Overweight is defined as having a body mass index) was directly linked to loss of brain tissue. Overweight is defined as having a BMI of 25-30. A person with a BMI over 30 is considered obese. To calculate your BMI, visit the government’s Weight-Control Information Network http://win.niddk.nih.gov/statistics/#what and for more information related to BMI and Obesity Please visit this site http://www.hateweight.com/bmi_calculator_faq.html

About the Author:
Chris Read is an associated editor to the website http://www.hateweight.com “The Weight Loss Portal”. Hateweight is committed to provide visitors with complete information on weight loss, obesity, healthy recipes, obesity diseases, latest news, personal views, articles and online community board on weight loss related topics. Your feedback & comments will be highly appreciated at chrisread001@gmail.com