Life

Too Much Belly Fat Might Make Your Brain Get Smaller, Study Suggests

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People that are overweight, or happen to carry extra fat around their waist or middle portions, are at a higher risk for a number of diseases including diabetes and heart disease. Back in January of 2019, a study was also published in the medical journal Neurology, explaining that excess belly fat can also have a negative impact on your brain.

The study had researchers following 9,652 participants that had an average age of 55, to which they compared body mass index (BMI) to the volume of gray matter and white matter that the participants had in their brains. Gray matter happens to be the dark tissue in the spinal cord and brain that ‘contains neurons and is where synapses are made.’ White matter, on the other hand, happens to be ‘made of nerve fibers that connect gray matter.’ 

The natural progression of the brain is that as people age, the amount of gray and white matter also decreases within the brain. Unfortunately, this progression is what increased people’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

The study’s researchers also found that the respondents with higher BMI – which is an indicator of obesity – had much lower gray matter volume in their brains compared to those respondents that had healthier BMI levels.

More results also show that having a bigger waistline can negatively affect the central nervous system, yet they also noted that more research is needed to prove this particular correlation. 

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According to Mark Hammer, Ph. D. and co-author of the study, explained in a press release, “While our study found obesity, especially around the middle, was associated with lower gray matter brain volumes, it’s unclear if abnormalities in brain structure lead to obesity or if obesity leads to these changes in the brain.” 

He added, “We also found links between obesity and shrinkage in specific regions of the brain. This will need further research but it may be possible that someday regularly measuring BMI and wait-to-hip ratio may determine brain health.” 

But be warned, whether you can be considered obese or not, it’s still highly advisable to try and keep your belly in check. 

Chair of the department of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University and director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, Lawrence Cheskin, MD, shared with the online site Prevention, “Belly fat is unfortunately the most dangerous location to store fat.” 

This is due to the fact that belly fat is considered more active than any other type of body fat, which means that it can circulate into your bloodstream. When this happens, it causes the fat in your blood to rise. 

Although this sounds extremely alarming, there are ways to lessen belly fat. The only problem is that belly fat is much harder to lose and requires a lot of work. Not only do you need to have a healthy diet, you also need to have a consistent exercise routine. It will also help if you are able to reduce stress and get enough quality sleep, each and every night. 

Thankfully, there are a ton of different exercise regimens that you can do to help you lose belly fat for good. Make sure to choose something that you enjoy too, in order to make it an easy habit. Just remember, take it day by day and allow yourself some time to see continuous progress.