Scientists have discovered that an increase in body fat percentage not only leads to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases but also results in decreased intelligence. Canadian researchers from various research centers reached this conclusion from a study involving data from over nine thousand Canadian citizens aged 30 to 75. The researchers focused on how weight gain or obesity affects the brain's normal condition and function.
All participants underwent a general medical examination, as well as brain vascular imaging using MRI. The researchers assessed all participants regarding their body fat tissue volume and tested their cognitive abilities, including concentration, attention, short-term memory, motor coordination, speed of processing new information, and the ability to work with it.
As anticipated by the researchers, the percentage of body fat was higher in women than in men, while men were more likely to suffer from "central obesity" – fat deposits around the waist. It was confirmed that excess weight, regardless of where it accumulates in the body, poses risks to heart health, increases the likelihood of high blood pressure and diabetes, and negatively affects the condition of blood vessels in the brain.
The unexpected finding of this study is the inverse relationship between excess weight and the ability to think clearly – the higher the percentage of fat tissue in the body, the worse and slower a person's thinking became, as if the surplus fat reserves cause the brain to age faster. According to the researchers' calculations, each additional 9 percent of body fat accelerates the "aging" of cognitive abilities in general. This effect primarily impacts the speed at which the brain processes new information, rather than memory or understanding. However, it remains unclear whether losing excess weight will lead to the restoration of brain function.
