A 24-year study of more than 8,200 adults has found that sustained high body mass index (BMI) is associated with faster declines in memory, thinking, and reasoning skills. Researchers used a cumulative average BMI across the entire study period rather than a single measurement, a method that revealed stronger associations than snapshot readings, according to the study published in the Journal of Neurology. [1] The strongest link appeared at an eight-year lag, and the effects were about four and a half times greater for adults 65 and older than for younger participants. [1] The findings suggest that long-term weight patterns during midlife and beyond may influence brain function years later.
Study Design and Methods
Data came from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey conducted by the University of Michigan every two years from 1996 to 2020, according to the report. [1] Participants were 50 or older at enrollment, cognitively healthy at baseline, and followed for an average of 17.5 years. [1] Cognitive function was assessed through word-recall tests and tasks such as counting backward; cumulative average BMI was calculated across all waves. [1] The study accounted for age, gender, race, education, employment, insurance status, smoking, depression, and chronic diseases. [1]
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