Middle-aged people who are obese, and have risk factors such as high blood pressure, mentally decline faster as they age than those of normal weight, according to a study published Monday in the journal Neurology.
The 10-year study involved 6,401 people aged 39 to 63 years old, some of whom had a metabolic abnormalities, according to WebProNews. The study defined a metabolic abnormality as having two or more of these conditions: high blood pressure; high cholesterol or high triglycerides.
http://www.webpronews.com/obesity-tied-to-more-rapid-cognitive-decline-2012-08
The subjects were given tests measuring their memory, reasoning and semantic skills every five years.
The swiftest mental decline came with those who were obese and also had metabolic abnormalities, WebProNews said.
As WebProNews pointed out, it was just when obesity and metabolic abnormalities were both present that there was a quicker mental decline.
The Wall Street Journal ran a comprehensive story on the study, saying that the cognitive decline in obese test participants was 22.5 percent faster than those of normal weight with the metabolic risk factors.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443989204577601343061867240.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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