Obesity changes the brain to reduce gray matter. Science confirms this

Higher levels of body fat correspond to smaller volumes of gray matter in the brain.

Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerous

The fatter you are, the less gray matter you have in your brain. That's right: obesity is irreparably associated (also) with differences in brain shape and structure, including smaller volumes of gray matter, on which - as we know - our intelligence depends.

This was revealed by a study by the Dutch Leiden University Medical Center, published in Radiology, in which, once the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were analyzed, it was discovered that higher levels of body fat were associated with reduced gray matter volumes and an increased likelihood of changes in white matter. And not only: the association was stronger among men than among women.

Previous research had already linked obesity to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, suggesting that dangerous overweight causes brain changes, among other things.

A systematic review

Now, to find out more, the researchers analyzed the brain imaging results of more than 12 participants in the UK Biobank study. Sophisticated MRI techniques have provided information on both neuron-rich gray matter and white matter, often referred to as the brain's wiring.

“We discovered - explains Ilona A. Dekkers, lead author of the study - that having high levels of fat distributed throughout the body is associated with smaller volumes of important brain structures, including those of gray matter that are found in the center of the brain. It is interesting to note that these associations are different for men and women ”.

In men, a higher percentage of body fat is linked to lower gray matter volume in general and in specific structures involved in reward circuits and the movement system. In women, however, all body fat would show only a significant negative association with the pale globe, a structure involved in voluntary movement.

However, in both men and women, the higher body fat percentage increased the likelihood of microscopic changes in the white matter of the brain. Why obesity has adverse effects on the brain is not yet known precisely, what seems certain is that even on brain tissue such a disease has harmful effects.