Women who are consistently overweight or obese during adulthood
may be at increased risk for reduced volume of certain areas of
their brain.

Obesity is associated with poor blood flow, high blood pressure,
and cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases — which
contribute to a higher dementia risk.

In this study, 290 Swedish women (born in the early 1900s) were
followed throughout adulthood and evaluated every five years. In
1992, when they were between 70 and 84 years old, head CT scans
were performed to assess any shrinkage in brain volume.

The researchers found that women with losses in their temporal
lobes — the areas of the brain associated with hearing as well
other functions — had body mass index (BMI) measurements
throughout adulthood that were 1 to 1.5 points higher than women
without any loss in brain volume. BMI is a measurement of how
overweight you are.

The researchers calculated that for every 1-point increase in
BMI, the risk of losses in the temporal lobes rose by 13% to 15%.

The results suggest that losing excess weight will help protect
your brain and minimize problems such as dementia.

Source: Gustafson, D et al, A 24-year follow-up of body mass
index and cerebral atrophy. Neurology. 2004 Nov 23;63(10):1876-81