Does Obesity Lead to Brain Damage?

Do you need another compelling reason to stay in shape? A new study warns that obesity can cause you to have less brain tissue, which increases your risk of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s as you grow older.

It was discovered in 2007 that almost half of Americans of European descent carried a variant of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene, which is the reason why they tend to put on a few extra pounds of weight, increase the size of their waistline by about an inch, and also increase their risk of obesity compared to those who don’t carry the gene.

UCLA researchers recently found that the same FTO variant, which is also carried by around 25 percent of U.S. Hispanics and by 15 percent of African Americans and Asian Americans, is associated with the loss of brain tissue. This puts around one third of the U.S. population at higher risk of diseases like Alzheimer's.

Using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), the researchers made 3D maps of the brains of 206 healthy elderly people from 58 areas around the country. They found that those who had the gene had decreased brain tissue – 8 percent less in the frontal lobe tissue (the brain's command and control center) and 12 pe cent less in occipital lobe tissue (the part of the brain which controls eyesight and perception).

The findings show that not only that does the prevalent FTO gene make your waistline bulge, it also makes your brain look 16 years older.

Two-thirds of adult Americans are either obese or overweight. The USDA blames fats, but Dr. Joseph Mercola says fructose, primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, and carbohydrates and grains are causing the epidemic.

We all need to consume a certain amount of carbohydrates, but since your body’s ability to store carbs is limited, eating more carbohydrates than what you need turns them into fat and stores them as fat, increasing your risk of bloating, depression, fatigue, frequent sleepiness, obesity, and almost all chronic degenerative diseases, Dr. Mercola explains.

Dr. Mercola’s No-Grain Diet is designed to help you conquer carbohydrate addiction, achieve weight loss, and stay slim for life. Reducing sugars and grains will not only help you lose weight, it will also help drastically improve your overall health.

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