Obesity May Be Linked to Cognitive Decline in Women
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Contributed by Lisa Olen| 23 November, 2004 04:23 GMT
For women, a lifetime of obesity has been linked to brain tissue loss, which in turn has been linked to diminished cognitive functioning. These are the findings of a new study published in the November 23 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers in Sweden studied the relationship between body mass index and brain atrophy (loss of brain tissue) in 290 women. The women were born between 1908 and 1922 and had four follow-up examinations between 1968 and 1992.
During the final exam, they had a computed tomography (CT) scan to measure for any loss of brain tissue. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat that shows weight adjusted for height. Overweight is a BMI of 25 to 30 kg/m2. Obesity is a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and above.
Risk Factor for Dementia
An overweight or obese BMI was linked to a loss of tissue specifically in the temporal lobe. Nearly 50 percent (144) of the women had temporal atrophy. At the time of CT scan, their body mass index was an average of 27 kg/m2, which was 1.1 to 1.5 kg/m2 higher than the women without brain atrophy.
Overall the women |
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