BRAIN HEALTH AND WEIGHT LEVEL
Excess weight, especially obesity, negatively impacts brain health by reducing brain volume, impairing cognitive functions like memory and executive skills, and increasing dementia risk, potentially due to inflammation and metabolic changes; however, modest weight loss through diet, exercise, or medication can improve brain function, with strength training also shown to boost brain health by improving blood flow and reducing inflammation.
How excess weight harms the brain
Reduced brain tissue: Obesity is linked to less brain tissue, including grey matter atrophy, which affects cognitive performance.
Impaired cognitive function: Higher BMI is associated with poorer attention, slower processing speed, weaker working memory, and issues with decision-making and planning.
Decreased brain activity: Weight gain can lead to reduced blood flow and activity in all brain regions, including those vulnerable to Alzheimer’s.
Accelerated aging: Compromised white matter integrity in overweight individuals suggests accelerated brain aging.
Increased dementia risk: Middle-aged obesity significantly raises the risk of developing dementia later in life.
How weight management helps the brain
Modest weight loss: Losing just 5-10% of body weight can improve blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation, benefiting brain health.
Improved function: Even small weight reductions can boost daily brain performance, memory, and learning.
Better structure: Weight loss after bariatric surgery has been shown to improve brain health.
Research On Connections
“Fat may secretly fuel Alzheimer’s, new research finds” Source: Science Daily
BIOLOGICAL AGING AND WEIGHT LEVEL
Obesity is reported to be the most significant lifestyle factor associated with accelerated aging, potentially leading to earlier onset of age-related diseases and a reduced lifespan.
Research On Connections
“Every pound of extra body weight places three to four pounds of pressure on each knee joint” Source: WebMD
“being overweight or obese is a primary marker of metabolic inflammation” Source: Nature.com Scientific Reports
“Obesity causes chronic tissue inflammation and being overweight puts your body into a constant and permanent cycle of inflammation” Source: AHAJournals.org
“Obesity contributes to the DNA damage that occurs with aging thereby accelerating the aging process” Source: Springer
“Adults with extreme obesity have increased risks of dying at a young age from cancer and many other causes including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney and liver diseases, according to results of an analysis of data pooled from 20 large studies of people from three countries; extreme obesity may shorten life expectancy up to 14 years” Source: National Institutes Of Health
Weight Management and Healthy Aging:
“Weight-loss jabs could ‘slow down the clock’ on biological ageing” Source: Times Of London
RECOMMENDED HEALTHY AGING PROTOCOL
Your Weight Level Should = Normal Weight