How Being Overweight May Affect Your Brain Function

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by Jessica Ann

The effects of being overweight on physical health are already established. Apparently, it can cause several diseases ranging from mild to fatal. Although these effects are largely focused on the human heart, people nowadays are not really aware of the effects on the brain.

And yes, being overweight can affect the way your brain functions. (tweet this)

According to studies, people with high body mass index have higher risks of inflammation. And as we all know, inflammation is essentially bad for the brain as it negatively impacts cognitive functions.

But while there are a lot of ways to fight obesity and weight issues, some would find these ways as daunting tasks. This is why many would resort to weight loss pills or crash diets. Nevertheless, it still won’t fully resolve the issues at hand. The best way to counteract obesity and being overweight is to have a healthy lifestyle. It may take time but you will surely thank yourself later.

If you don’t find this compelling enough, then these negative impacts on brain functions might:

1. Your brain shrinks and ages

It’s largely possible for your brain to shrink and age because of obesity and overweight. In fact, research shows that people who are overweight tend to have 4% less brain tissues. And you don’t want this for sure as the human brain can only use 10% of it on an average note.

In addition, neurons get to die more quickly than usual. Also, brain cells are found to deteriorate much faster. And all of these are actual causes of brain aging. So, if you are obese or overweight, your brain could look 8 to 16 years older.

2. Higher risks of dementia

Aside from the risks of inflammation, risks of dementia are also seen when you have a high body mass index. The links between dementia and body fat are already established by many experts and scholars when way back. It is only recently that actual data showed promising results as many people participated in the study.

Today, about 45 million people are suffering from dementia. And from this number, 1.6 million people participated in getting their dementia studied. It has been found that body fat plays a huge role in fueling dementia.

In fact, each 5-unit of body mass index increase can also mean a 16 to 33% increase in risk of having dementia.

3. Raises the risk of depression

Being overweight and obese are always linked to depression and anxiety. The links are still being discussed whether overweight and obesity cause depression or it’s the other way around. But, specialists attest that it happens either way.

It is true that depression causes people to eat a lot. Somehow, eating has been found as a common safe ground for depressed and anxious people. And the more they eat, the more they feel comfortable in some way and somehow. But, eating too much also means gaining more.

Vice versa, little did people know that being overweight and obese are also risks to increasing depression and anxiety. Recent data in the US shows that obese and overweight individuals are largely the people who suffer from depression. They normally lose confidence and self-esteem. And because of this, they tend to build walls and refuse socialization. Hence, increasing the risks of depression.

Moreover, being overweight and depressed share the same risk factors.

Now, being overweight and obese is just simply bad for the health. Whether physical, emotional, or mental, it affects negatively. And whatever these negative effects are, you still need to fight for your health. In the end, taking care of yourself must be one of your top priorities. And it largely includes keeping yourself healthy in totality.

Author bio

Jessica Ann has written many blogs across the spectrum but specializes mainly in weight loss and dieting. With several years in the field, Jessica has been helping people get healthy and fit with the help of drtohelp.com and is dedicated to providing information for those who need it.

 

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1 thought on “How Being Overweight May Affect Your Brain Function

  1. It is rather a sad reality that many people face problems due to overweight. The impact that overweight has on the brain has been clearly explained in the blog. The other side effects of overweight include heart attack, strokes, cancer and so on.

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