Children and Obesity: The risk of obesity on children's brains
A new American study revealed the dangers of childhood obesity on brain development, revealing that the more children gain weight, the worse their cognitive development becomes.
How true is this?
A new statistic from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns of widespread obesity among children, as it now affects one out of five. a worrying number due to the association of obesity with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.
This statistic was relied on by researchers from Yale University, USA, to study the effects of weight gain on brain development in children and their cognitive development until adolescence.
The results of the study were interesting, as it found that obesity causes subtle changes in the shape of children's brains and affects the white matter responsible for sending nerve signals, changes that, according to the researchers, delay the mental and cognitive abilities of overweight children.
The children's body mass index scores were examined, and the researchers used brain MRI pictures to spot any alterations in their brains. They came to the conclusion that gaining weight as a youngster is linked to lower cognitive functioning, especially when it comes to academic or job-related tasks.
A previous study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology reported that children with high verbal and executive skills were less likely to be overweight and that healthy eating behaviors contributed significantly to improving their cognitive functions.