Does Body Shape Affect Our Mental Abilities?

According to a new study from Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University at Evanston

, Illinois, a womans shape may affect her memory. According to research, the more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory is.

The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes. It is likely related to the type of fat deposited around hips versus the waist.

In the study, researchers found that for every one point increase in a woman's body mass index (BMI), her score on a standard memory test -- though still in the normal range -- dropped by one point. BMI is a measurement that takes into account height and weight.

"This study really underscores the importance of maintaining an ideal body weight," said lead researcher Dr. Diana Kerwin, assistant professor of medicine in the division of geriatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "Even if a woman feels that she's generally healthy because her blood pressure and cholesterol levels are good, what these findings suggest is that she also needs to pay attention to her weight, because it's not only good for her heart, it's also good for her brain."

After controlling for age, level of education and vascular diseases that have been shown to raise the risk of dementia, such as stroke, the researchers found that the association between obesity and poorer memory and brain function persisted.

Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City hopes the results would coax older women to exercise regularly in order to maintain a healthy weight. "This is really a call for women to make an effort to get more active, find an exercise partner, and do something every day," he said.

2010 Project Weight Loss. All rights reserved.

by: Kelly Abbot

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