Monday, September 3, 2012

Obesity is bad for kids' brains

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/mdmama/2012/09/obesity_is_bad_for_kids_brains.html



Obesity is bad for kids' brains



"The kids with metabolic syndrome had more trouble with arithmetic, spelling, attention and mental "flexibility" than the ones who didn't have metabolic syndrome. Even more frightening, the researchers saw actual changes in their brains, in the hippocampus (which plays a crucial role in memory) and the white matter (which passes messages through the brain).

It was only a small study, and not all kids with obesity have metabolic syndrome. But this study is alarming--especially since we don't know if losing weight can make the brain go back to normal. Given that brains are still developing in adolescence, it's very possible that the changes could be permanent."


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