A new study just released in the Journal of Human Brain Mapping showed that obese individuals have eight percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals and their brains look 16 years older than the brains of individuals who are at normal weights. In addition, the brains of overweight individuals looked eight years older than those of leaner individuals.
Lead researchers of the study call this “severe brain degeneration” a great risk for degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, in addition to other diseases that affect the brain.
Obesity is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more and overweight is classified as having a BMI of 25 to 29.9.
Sixty-six percent of Americans are either overweight or obese according to the latest statistics by the Centers for Disease Control.
These startling findings are just one additional reason that greatly underscores the importance of following a healthy lifestyle in order to live a healthy and bright life.