More fat in your belly means less brain volume you have, study found

News24xx.com - Fat in your belly is considered to interfere with the body’s health. However, not only disturbs the body, fat in the stomach is also called to disrupt the brain function. The latest research found a link between abdominal fat and shrinking the volume of gray matter in the brain. Gray matter contains most of the brain's nerve cells.

The study was conducted in two stages. First, researchers measured the body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio in 9,642 middle-aged people in the UK. Nearly one in five participants was found to be obese.

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Next, the researchers conducted an MRI test to scan the participants' brain volume. The researchers accounted for age, physical activity, smoking habits, and high blood pressure, all of which are driving factors for decreased brain volume.

As a result, people with high BMI and waist-hip ratios have lower volumes of gray matter. "Decreasing brain size increases linearly because fat in the middle of the body (stomach) is getting bigger" study author Mark Hammer said.

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The study, published in the journal Neurology on Wednesday, January 9th 2019, shows that excess weight is related to shrinkage in certain areas of the brain such as the pallidum, nucleus accumbens, putamen, and caudate. All parts of the brain are involved in regulating motivation and self-esteem. "It is not clear whether abnormalities in the brain structure cause obesity or whether obesity causes changes in brain structure" Hammer said.

 

 

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