Obesity linked to memory deficits

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https://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2016/nov/23/obesity-alters-brain-structure-and-function

This research was conducted by Lucy Cheke and her colleagues at the University of Cambridge.

Cheke and her colleagues invited a few participants into her lab to complete a virtual treasure hunt. Once this task had been completed, they then answered a series of questions that tested their memory of the task. Cheke found a clear relationship between Body Mass Index—a measure of weight relative to height—and apparent memory deficits. This data collection showed that the higher a participant’s BMI, the worse they performed on the Treasure Hunt task.

Cheke found that being overweight or obese not only impacts memory function, but also affects future eating behavior by altering recollections of previous eating experiences. Previous research indicates that obesity affects areas of the brain that are used in memory and imagination.

This article hinted at the possibility that obesity may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease, due to the fact that obesity affects areas of the brain that are used in memory and imagination, as previously stated.


I was surprised to read that there is a relationship between obesity and memory function. While I enjoyed reading through this article, I think it would have been beneficial to Cheke, and her readers, to take into consideration some other circumstances that could show a correlation between obesity and memory function, such as sleep, or a lack there of. By taking into account other circumstances, Cheke could come up with more relationships, and possibly more accurate results.

Comments

  1. BriaNovember 28, 2016 at 11:56 PM

    I feel like this article does not have much proof that there is a connection between obesity and memory function. There could have been other factors involved in this study that could have affected the outcomes, such as lack of sleep or did the participants eat before hand, were they fatigued?

    ReplyDelete
  2. DanielleKellyNovember 29, 2016 at 12:21 AM

    I wonder what happens that causes obesity to effect the part of the brain that controls memory and imagination more so than other parts of the brain. I also agree that other factors could have contributed such as the time the test was taken. If it was taken early in the morning or later in the day, would that have any effect on the participants memory?

    ReplyDelete

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