Obesity affects your memory
One in every three adults in the United States is obese. While obesity has been linked to many health problems such as an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, it can also affect your brain. Studies have shown that being obese can harm your memory. Researchers hypothesize that inflammation could be the cause. They found that genes associated with memory were not found to present as strongly in subjects that were obese. Researchers also found the higher a subjects BMI, the more difficulty they had with tasks relating to memory. They found that in addition to BMI affecting memory, overeating can also impair brain function. Genetics, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status can all be factors affecting obesity, but researchers have found that a behavioral approach worked best across the board in terms of treatment.
Obesity and Dementia
Studies have shown that obesity lowers brain volume. It is theorized that the extra fat triggers inflammation. Obesity, especially during middle age, has also been linked to an increased risk of developing dementia. Specifically, belly fat can promote inflammation and insulin resistance which harms the brain because of the production of hormones and chemicals. Obese adults were found to have smaller brain volumes and it is believed that obesity can actually lead to brain shrinkage.
Obesity and Food Addiction
Obesity can cause the brain to become desensitized to sugary foods. The same chemicals in the brain linked to drug addiction behave similarly in the brains of overeaters driving them to consume more calories from sugary and fatty foods. Cravings for these foods are a direct result of brain chemistry and a western diet, which is highly processed and loaded in sugars and fats. With this kind of diet, the body craves more and more food to compensate for these changes in brain chemistry. This is because obesity causes issues with receptors in the brain related to dopamine– a brain chemical associated with pleasure. Long term stress and the form of the TaqIA1 gene may make your more likely to overeat.
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