New Research Reveals That Obesity Can Actually Drive You Crazy
Most of us are fully aware that obesity causes all sorts of health problems including diabetes and high blood pressure, but now shocking new research shows that being overweight can actually lead to insanity.
A research team consisting of staff from INSERM, the French research institute in Paris and University College London in England, discovered that people suffering from metabolically abnormal obesity were more at risk for experiencing a rapid decline in mental function than those individuals with a healthy weight.
Researchers say that the term “metabolically abnormal” is one they use to classify individuals who are taking medication for diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and lower good cholesterol levels.
The study consisted of more than 6,000 people of all shapes and sizes well into their 50’s at the time the study began. Their initial BMI and risk factors for disease were then documented prior to undergoing cognitive tests three times a week over the course of the next decade.
What researchers found was that out of the 582 obese participants, 350, or roughly 60 percent, could be classified as metabolically abnormal, and those individuals experienced a decline in mental ability that was nearly 23 percent faster than participants with a normal weight.
While study experts say more research is needed to look closely at the effects of genetic factors and the duration of a person’s obesity and metabolic risk factors, they hope that this study will assist in better understanding the link between obesity and cognitive function, such as thinking, reasoning and memory.