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A new study used data many participants that a measure of waist:hip ratio was associated with reduced cognitive function in older Irish adults. These findings have significant implications as the global prevalence of dementia is predicted to increase. Previous studies have found that people who are overweight do not perform very well on tests of memory and visuospatial ability compared to those who are normal weight.
The researchers used data from the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) ageing cohort study comprising, which is a cross-border collaborative research project gathering data from thousands of elderly adults in Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Researchers found that a higher waist:hip ratio was associated with reduced cognitive function. This could be explained by an increased secretion of inflammatory markers by belly fat, which has been previously associated with a higher risk of impaired cognition.
On the contrary, body mass index (BMI) was found to protect cognitive function. BMI is a measure of body fat and cannot differentiate between fat and fat-free mass (muscle), thus it is proposed that the fat-free mass component is likely to be the protective factor.
The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the older population and the economic and social burden of cognitive dysfunction, the results suggest that reducing obesity and exposure to obeso-genic risk factors could offer a cost-effective public health strategy for the prevention of cognitive decline. Obesity is associated with negative health consequences, excess fat deposit in the abdomen could influence brain health.