Brain Fitness

A recent University of California-San Francisco study consisting of 3,054 women and men, ages 70 to 79 shows that males over 70 who are overweight experience a sharper decline in brain fitness over time than men of better physical shape, and in comparison to women of similar age who are comparatively overweight. Further, researchers report that they found no connection between increased body fat and declining mental fitness in women.

Starting out, the participants were in generally good physical and well as mental health. The research team conducted brain fitness evaluations during an eight year period for the targets of the study whose ratios of body fat had initially been measured using several advanced techniques.

Findings obtained support previous studies that link obesity to dementia as highlight the benefits shown by many contemporary findings that a nutritious diet, regular physical, an active lifestyle, and a habit of mental training to boost one's Cognitive Reserve in preparation for advancing years contribute to longer-term brain health.

Results indicate that males who generally possess higher percentages of body fat demonstrated the largest mental performance deficits, while women showed no notable decreases in mental ability. Influential factors including physiological locations of body fat deposits, types of body fat measurements, and prior existing conditions were accounted for in the study.

Likely, other ongoing research studies will shine more light on (and resolve) the lack of evidence in this study as it relates to obesity in women and longer-term mental decline. This study did not investigate whether women have overall better cognitive performance with advancing age than men. Concurrent studies clearly demonstrate that people who lead healthier lifestyles that include regular exercise and a nutritious diet tend to have a mental performance advantage over those who do not. Logically, the human body performs best while in a healthier physical state, and with the brain being part of the body, it too performs better when in stronger physical condition.

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