Having a
bigger waistline and a high body mass index (BMI) in your 60s may be linked
with greater signs of brain aging years later, according to a study published
in the July 24, 2019, online issue of Neurology, which suggests that these
factors may accelerate brain aging by at least a decade.
Participants’
BMI and waist circumference were measured at the beginning of the study. An
average of six years later, participants had MRI brain scans to measure the
thickness of the cortex area of the brain, overall brain volume and other
factors.
For waist
circumference, which can be different for men and women, the normal weight
group (BMI < 25), which was 54% women, had an average of 33 inches. The
overweight group (BMI 25-30), which was 56% women, had an average of 36 inches,
and the obese group (BMI ≥30), which was 73% women, had an average of 41
inches.
- Having
a higher BMI was associated with having a thinner cortex, even
after researchers adjusted for other factors that could
affect the cortex, such as high BP, alcohol use and smoking.
- In
overweight people, every unit increase in BMI was associated with a 0.098
mm thinner cortex and in obese people with a 0.207 mm thinner cortex.
- Having
a thinner cortex has been tied to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s
disease.
- Having
a bigger waist was also associated with a thinner cortex after adjusting
for other factors.
Even the elderly should exercise. However a word of
caution, if an elderly is walking or entering into an exercise program, he or
she should have a cardiac evaluation to rule out underlying heart blockages.
Older adults who exercise daily or stay physically active have better memory
and thinking skills.
Walking is the best form of exercise; it requires no
special training, no special equipment. Walking in natural environments such as
parks also reduces mental stress and fatigue and improve mood via the release
of the ‘feel good’ endorphins. This proximity to nature also helps in the
inward spiritual journey and shifts one from the sympathetic to parasympathetic
mode manifested by lowering of blood pressure and pulse rate.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
