Extra Weight Affects Brain Function

Updated: 11/7/23

A recent study has found that the brains of individuals who are overweight, appear '10 years older' when compared to individuals of normal weight.

Why is this?  As people age, the brain naturally loses its white matter (the part of the brain that sends information.)

Recently, a Cambridge University group discovered that the loss of the brain's white matter was intensified with individuals who carry extra weight, indicating that extra weight negatively affects brain function.

The team who completed the study, from the Cambridge Center for Aging and Neuroscience, looked at the brains of 473 people between the ages of 20 and 87, dividing them into lean and overweight groups.

Their findings, published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, found significant differences in the volume of white matter in the brains of overweight people compared with leaner people. Those in the overweight group had much less white matter than individuals in the leaner group.

Professor Sadal Farooqi, from the Welcome Trust Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science at Cambridge University, who also worked on the study, stated "It will also be important to find out whether these changes could be reversible with weight loss, which may well be the case. This must be a starting point for us to explore in more depth the effects of weight, diet and exercise on the brain and memory."

Full Article Here:  http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36975089

*Results may vary. Minimum purchase required. Some restrictions apply and discounts may not be used for online purchases.
When you enroll in a Medical Weight Loss Clinic program, the length of your program will be determined by you and the staff based on the amount of weight you want to lose and how quickly you want to lose it. Your actual weight loss will be determined by many factors, including, but not limited to: your medical circumstances, the plan you choose, adherence to the meal plan and use of nutritional supplements. Your goal and program duration information will be given to you in writing at the time of enrollment. As your program progresses, the rate you lose weight may change and you will have the opportunity to discuss this at every daily visit with your weight loss consultant, where changes to your meal plan and/or program can be made.