Tufts University Newsletter, September 2012

Staying healthy and maintaining a normal weight helps protect your brain, according to a 10-year study of 6,401 British civil servants. Participants, initially ages 39-63, were less likely to have impaired cognitive function if they were not overweight or obese. Those with multiple markers of “metabolic abnormality” were more likely to suffer impaired cognitive function; these markers included high cholesterol or triglycerides, high blood pressure, low “good” HDL cholesterol, high glucose or diabetes. In follow up mental testing at the 5- and 10-year points, those who were both obese and “metabolically abnormal” were significantly more likely to show a faster rate of cognitive decline. Researchers speculated that vascular problems associated with weight might affect brain function, along with fat-related secretions that impact the aging brain. – Neurology