We all know the dangers of obesity range from cardiovascular disease to type 2 diabetes, but new research suggests carrying extra pounds could pose a serious risk to a decline in memory.
Researchers at the University of Alabama studied the effects of obesity on mice over a four-part experiment, including the effective obesity has on cognitive function.
The results, published in
The Journal of Neuroscience and
Scientific American , first studied mice during memory tasks involving object recognition and location.
Splitting the mice into two groups – healthy weight and overweight – the mice were tracked on their ability to recognise, retain information, and make decisions based on memory.
Findings from the Alabama group found that compared to their healthy weight counterparts, overweight mice performed poorly on a spatial memory task - which relies on the brain’s hippocampus.
The hippocampus is a small organ and forms an important part of the limbic system, the region that regulates emotions. The hippocampus is associated mainly with memory - particularly long-term memory. The organ also plays an important role in spatial navigation.
While critics have claimed the study needs more analysis, it’s worth ticking this off with the list of other reasons to try keep a balanced weight.
