I read an article this morning that gives all of us another reason to get to a healthy weight and stay there. The article, posted in the Health & Fitness section of MSN.com, was entitled, "Trim Down to Smarten Up." Here's part of what the article said:
" . . . did you know that losing excess body fat might protect your brain, too?
That’s what the science seems to say. For starters, flab triggers other unhealthy conditions that can spell trouble for brain health. We know, for example, that gaining weight makes a person more likely to develop high blood pressure, or hypertension. We have also known for more than a decade that people with hypertension have an increased risk of cognitive problems as they age. A 2004 study in China found that people with high blood pressure double their chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Hypertension has also been linked to vascular dementia—the kind caused by clogged arteries that reduce blood flow to the brain.
Packing on too many pounds also makes a person more vulnerable to diabetes—another condition that can damage blood vessels, causing them to clog.
That may explain why a 2004 Swedish study found that people who develop diabetes are two and a half times more likely to develop vascular dementia."
So, whether you're losing weight to look better when you hit the beach in a few weeks, or whether you are hoping to improve your health, staying on plan and getting to a healthy weight will help to protect your brain, too. Some of the choices we make have immediate results, good or bad, while other results take a bit more time. This is one of the NSVs(non-scale victories) that won't be apparent for years - perhaps decades - but what we're doing today could very well impact how well we function cognitively in our later years. It's something to think about!
As you make your choices today, understand that they are impacting your future, one way or another. Choose wisely :-)
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