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Obesity Quickens Brain Aging By 10 Years

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Overweight adults past the age of 40 may experience faster brain aging compared to those of normal weight, a new study suggests.

The study revealed that middle-aged people who were overweight or obese had “older-looking” brains, as seen by less white matter, the Huffington Post reports.

White matter, known as the “subway of the brain,” is responsible for long-range connections, linking regions of the brain together, says study author Lisa Ronan. These connections allow the brain to transmit messages quickly and run efficiently. White matter begins to lessen naturally at around 40 years, but the study’s results presented a more significant drop for overweight and obese individuals in this age bracket.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge looked at MRI-based data from 473 people between 20 and 87 years old. Upon identifying differences in brain structures, they found significantly smaller volumes of white matter in obese and overweight persons around age 40. Ronan says,

We found that this difference in volume equated to a brain-age increase of 10 years in the overweight/obese group.

Paul Fletcher, senior author on the study, adds that, “The fact that we only saw these differences from middle-age onwards raises the possibility that we may be particularly vulnerable at this age.” He says, “It will also be important to find out whether these changes could be reversible with weight loss, which may well be the case.”

For the study, participants were put into two categories: lean, with a BMI between 18.5 to 25, and overweight or obese, with a BMI over 25. The researchers then compared white matter volume among the brains of individuals of the same age to find the difference.

While they found less white matter suggestive of a brain-age increase of 10 years, Ronan says they did not find any proof that this had an effect on cognitive ability.

The researchers likewise found no changes in the brain’s grey matter for all participants. Grey matter contains the most number of neurons and is what drives basic functions, including speech, memory, motor control and sensory perceptions.

The larger implications of the study are still being analyzed. Less white matter due to extra weight could increase the risks for neurological disorders, but more studies will have to be conducted to prove that, Ronan says.

Overweight and obese people have been shown to have an increased risk for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, but there has been little evidence linking weight and brain aging.

An immediate takeaway from this study is that there might be a relationship between brain degeneration and weight, which could prove dangerous for overall brain health, particularly as obesity rates continue to climb.

The study was published in Neurobiology of Aging.

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