High Body Mass Index : Low Cognitive Performance

More about fat people are stupid.

Journal Age and Ageing has an article...showing that older adults with a high body mass index (BMI) are more likely to suffer from a lower cognitive function.

The lead author of the study, Dae Hyun Yoon, comments that:

"Our findings have important public health implications. The prevention of obesity, particularly central obesity, might be important for the prevention of cognitive decline or dementia".


His study entitled 'The Relationship Between Visceral Adiposity and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults', investigates the connection between fat levels and cognitive performance in elderly persons.

The Key Points of Yoon's work include :

Higher BMI is related to lower cognitive function in older people

This study showed a direct association between visceral adiposity on abdominal CT and poor cognitive performance in older people

The relation between higher total and visceral adiposity and poor cognitive performance is attenuated by age in older people.

Over the course of 2004 to 2009, the cross-sectional study looked at 250 individuals aged 60 years and above. Scientists collected adiposity measurements from their subjects. The data collected includes:

Body mass index

Waist circumference measurements

Visceral and subcutaneous adiposity measurements by abdominal CT scan.

Poor cognition performance was defined as Mini-Mental State Examination score being at or below 1 standard normative value.

A high BMI was linked with poor cognitive performance in adults aged between 60 - 70 years old.

Adults with the highest level of visceral adipose tissue showed a tendency to be associated with poor cognitive performance compared with those adults with lower visceral adipose tissue.

Be smart.

Stay smart.

Don't add the pounds, and if you have, then shed the pounds.