Obesity accelerates cognitive decline
Obesity accelerates cognitive decline. By standard criteria, Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated as weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared. A BMI between 18.5 and 25 indicates normal weight, 25 to 29 signifies overweight, and 30 or above denotes obesity.
According to a May 15 report in the Sunday Telegraph, French scientists conducted five-year cognitive tests on over 2,200 adults aged 32 to 62. Results showed that in vocabulary tests, individuals with a BMI of 20 or below recalled 56% of words, while obese individuals with a BMI of 30 or above recalled only 44%.
Scientists also observed that individuals who gained weight during the study experienced accelerated cognitive decline. At the five-year mark, those who gained weight recalled only 37.5% of the vocabulary, while those who maintained a healthy weight showed no change in memory performance.
Maxime Courneau, lead researcher from Toulouse University Hospital in France, believes hormones secreted by fat tissue damage cerebellar cells, leading to cognitive decline. Additionally, obesity thickens cerebral artery walls and hardens blood vessels.
These findings by French scientists were published in the latest issue of the American journal Neurology.
Obesity weakens children's immune systems, making "chubby kids" prone to frequent illnesses, particularly infectious diseases like colds and pneumonia. Furthermore, obesity often triggers a series of chronic conditions such as dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. The earlier obesity develops, the more severe the metabolic disorders become, increasing the risk of diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
The excessive weight burden associated with obesity increases susceptibility to lower limb joint injuries.
Sexual development in obese children often exhibits abnormalities. Obese boys may experience gynecomastia (breast development), small testicles, and infertility; obese girls may exhibit precocious puberty, such as early menarche and anovulatory menstruation. While pre-adolescent height may exceed that of peers, final adult height tends to be shorter.
Obesity predisposes individuals to numerous other diseases.
Obesity frequently leads to various vascular disorders. Beyond excessive subcutaneous fat accumulation, obese individuals also experience fat buildup within visceral organs and throughout the body's vascular system. This predisposes them to multiple vascular diseases, particularly life-threatening cardiovascular and cerebrovascular conditions. Research indicates that the incidence of hypertension among obese individuals is 1.5 to 3 times higher than in normal-weight individuals.Moreover, the higher the degree of obesity, the greater the incidence of hypertension and the more pronounced the blood pressure elevation. Among severely obese individuals, the incidence of hypertension exceeds 50%. Conversely, implementing weight loss measures to reduce body weight can correspondingly lower blood pressure.
Obesity can trigger diabetes. While obesity is not the direct cause of diabetes, its role in inducing the condition cannot be overlooked.Numerous studies confirm that the severity of obesity correlates directly with higher diabetes incidence. In many developed economies, diabetes is the most prevalent obesity-related disease. Approximately one-third of adults with diabetes are obese. Nearly all obese individuals exhibit elevated fasting blood glucose levels to varying degrees.The excessive weight gain in obese individuals places additional strain on the musculoskeletal system, particularly the spine and lower limbs. Bones, joints, and other tissues enduring prolonged support of excessive weight are akin to carrying unnecessary burdens daily. Over time, this inevitably leads to cumulative strain, resulting in conditions such as arthritis, muscle strain, or spinal nerve root compression. This causes aches in the waist, legs, shoulders, and back, and may even lead to joint deformities, severely impairing limb mobility.
Obesity predisposes individuals to numerous other diseases. Elevated blood cholesterol levels in obese individuals increase bile concentration. Combined with abdominal fat compression hindering bile flow, this significantly raises the risk of gallstones. Simultaneously, fat accumulation in the liver is common among obese individuals, often leading to fatty liver disease and cirrhosis.Obese individuals are susceptible to various skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis vulgaris, keratosis pilaris, seborrheic dermatitis, acanthosis nigricans, skin atrophy lines, varicose veins in the lower limbs, and thrombophlebitis.Moreover, severely obese individuals frequently exhibit mental abnormalities. Mild cases manifest as persistent distress and anxiety, while severe cases may cause sensory and motor impairments, muscle spasms and convulsions, unsteady standing and walking, and even suicidal tendencies.