Exercise for your brain's sake!
I’m always on the lookout for good information on wellness and brain power, as I want to do everything I can to defeat a withering mind before it starts. Recently I heard John Tesh talking about this on the radio, and I just had to share it with you. Another reason to keep moving and keep that excess weight off!
From John Tesh: New research shows that if you’re overweight, you’re literally frying your brain. Here are the details from The Los Angeles Times: Scientists from UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh gave MRIs to a group of volunteers to measure the size of their brains. When they compared the results to the person’s weight, they found some disturbing connections:
- People who were overweight had 4% less brain tissue than those who were at a normal weight.
- The heavier someone was, the greater the damage. Obese participants were missing more than 8% of their brain tissue.
The majority of the loss occurred in the areas that coordinate movement, but regions associated with decision making, long-term memory, and attention span also took a hit. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Carrying extra weight also aged the brain prematurely. The brains of the overweight people looked eight years older than normal, and the brains of obese people looked 16 years older! What does that mean? That fat is bad for your brain.
A study from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research found that those with the fattest arms between the ages of 40 and 45 were 59% more likely to have dementia later in life. Another study found that obese people with large bellies were a shocking 260% more likely to develop dementia. Study author Rachel Witmer says the biggest risk is the fat that hangs over your belly, most likely because of the hormones and inflammatory factors it produces. There is some good news. A follow-up study found that exercise will slow or even reverse the brain damage – provided you eat right. So make sure you stick to healthy, whole foods, for your brain’s sake!
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