Study: Being Overweight=Smaller Brain

A new study on the elderly has shown another possible complication of being overweight: a smaller brain:

"The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than their healthy counterparts while [those of] overweight people looked 8 years older," said UCLA neuroscientist Paul Thompson, senior author of a study published online in Human Brain Mapping.

Much of the lost tissue was in the frontal and temporal lobe regions of the brain, the seat of decision-making and memory, among other things. . . .

Clinically obese people had 8 percent less brain tissue, while the overweight had 4 percent less brain tissue compared to normal-weight individuals.

Here's the whole article: As Waistlines Widen, Brains Shrink (US News and World Report)

The researchers were careful to say this may not be a clear case of cause-effect.  Regardless, this is a stark reminder that everything in the human body works together.