A
study published today in the journal Neruology has found that people who are
both obese and metabolically abnormal can expect to have their metal
capabilities degrade at a faster rate than those who don’t suffer similar health
issues.
The
study, a Whitehall cohort study, looked at 6,401 adults between the ages of 39
and 63 years old. Those labeled obese for the purposes of the study had a body
mass index (BMI) of over 30 kg/m^2. A metabolic abnormality was defined as
having 2 or more of the following conditions: high blood pressure, diabetes,
high colesterol, or high triglycerides. Cognitive tests measuring the test
subjects’ memory, reasoning, semantic, and phonemic fluency abilities were given
at 5-year intervals.
The
fastest cognitive decline was seen in subjects who had both obesity and metabolic abnormalities. For
test subjects who were metabolically normal, whether obese or not, cognitive
decline was similar. It is only the combination of the two factors that the
researchers found to increase cognitive decline.
The
Whitehall studies are large British studies which investigate the health of
humans throughout their life. The first Whitehall study examined mortality rates
for male British Civil Servants. The current Whitehall study is ongoing, and
investigates occupational and social influences on health.
Though
this study was performed on British citizens, obesity is on the rise in the U.S. Given that obesity has been
linked to some of the metabolic abnormality factors listed in the study (such as
diabetes), those with a high BMI but little muscle may want to begin worrying
about their mental health as well as physical.
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