Better losing belly fat affects our mental functions

How does an increased percentage of belly fat affect you??

Obesity and obesity can lead to various health problems. Researchers have now found that a higher percentage of belly fat is associated with reduced cognitive function.

Researchers at Trinity College Dublin found in their current research that a higher proportion of abdominal fat was associated with reduced cognitive function in Irish adults over 60 years of age. The physicians published the results of their study in the English journal "British Journal of Nutrition".

Data from more than 5,000 participants were evaluated

For the current study, the experts analyzed the data of more than 5,000 people. They found that a higher percentage of belly fat was associated with reduced cognitive function. Earlier studies had already shown that people who are overweight did not fare as well on memory and visuospatial tests compared to people of normal body weight, the researchers say.

There are a lot of obese people in Ireland

In Ireland, more than half of the population over the age of 50 is considered obese. Only 16 percent of men and 26 percent of women have a body mass index (BMI) in the normal range, say the doctors. Researchers found that a higher waist-to-hip ratio was associated with decreased cognitive function.

Protect muscles' cognitive function?

This could be explained by an increased secretion of inflammatory markers by abdominal fat, which has previously been associated with a higher risk of impaired perception, the researchers explain. The physicians found that a healthy BMI protects the cognitive function. BMI is a crude measure of body fat and can not differentiate between fat and fat free masses (muscles), which suggests that the muscle is probably the protective factor.

Excess weight affects the health of the brain

Given the high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the elderly population and the economic and social burden of cognitive dysfunction, the findings of the current study suggest that reducing obesity could provide a cost-effective public health strategy for preventing cognitive decline. " Knowing for some time that obesity is associated with adverse health outcomes, the results of the new study make it clear that obesity and excess weight can affect brain health, "says study author Conal Cunningham of Trinity College Dublin in a press release. This finding could have a significant impact on public health. (As)