Obesity, Other Factors May Speed Up Brain Aging

A preliminary study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions found middle-age adults' brains may be prematurely aging if they are obese or have other factors related to cardiovascular disease, reports U.S. News & World Report . The researchers employed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tests of thinking skills to evaluate more than 2,100 women and men 37 to 55 years old, and compared to the healthiest participants, those who were metabolically unhealthy, obese, or both exhibited brain decline. "This is further ammunition for healthcare workers to convince people to change their lifestyles and to work on early prevention," said Rebecca Angoff at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The MRIs identified lower total cerebral brain volume in metabolically unhealthy people. Both metabolically unhealthy and obese participants showed the most evidence of subtle white matter injury, which has been associated with early Alzheimer's disease. Angoff noted these injuries stem from blood vessel abnormalities, and may be due to risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. Obesity also was linked to poorer scores on cognitive tests, which when taken with MRI findings may indicate early symptoms of an aging brain.