How obesity causes mental decline
Tuesday August 21st, 2012
Obesity and high blood pressure may contribute to a steady loss of mental skills, researchers warned last night.
A
joint French and British study has tracked thousands of people over a
ten year period.
They concluded that during a decade those who were obese and had other so-called "metabolic abnormalities", such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, suffer a 22 per cent faster decline in mental abilities than other people.
Some 6,400 people with an average age of 50 at the start of the research took part in the study.
About 31 per cent of the participants had two or more metabolic abnormalities and nine per cent were obese.
The findings were reported in the journal Neurology. The researchers say people who are obese, but did not have metabolic abnormalities, also suffered some decline.
Researcher Dr Archana Singh-Manoux, INSERM, Paris, and University College London, UK, said: “More research is needed to look at the effects of genetic factors and also to take into account how long people have been obese and how long they have had these metabolic risk factors and also to look at cognitive test scores spanning adulthood to give us a better understanding of the link between obesity and cognitive function, such as thinking, reasoning and memory."
Neurology August 20 2102
Tags: Brain & Neurology | Diet & Food | Europe | Heart Health | UK News
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