Although there are natural changes in aging in terms of mental functions such as memory or executive functions, it seems relevant to find which health variables are associated with a greater decline in them, in order to prevent them and perform better. One of those variables is obesity and being overweight. Anna k. Dahl and Linda B. Hassing reviewed the scientific literature on the relationship between obesity and cognitive aging. In a great article published in Epidemiologic Reviews (2013) they described how, in general, the evidence suggests that obesity in adulthood is associated with poorer cognitive functioning in old age. Some studies have even described that obesity is associated with an increased risk of suffering from both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
One way to try to manage this relationship, of course, is to intervene on obesity. Another interesting research work has found that bariatric surgery could solve both problems at the same time, in cases where obesity has not been solved with other types of treatments. As found in the study, published in the journal Obesity (2014), two years after surgery, patients who underwent surgery improved their scores in a series of memory tests at 12 and 24 months after the operation, compared to a group of non-operated patients.
Another way to try to compensate for memory problems would be to train the brain, and take care of its health since we are young. In this way we will be better prepared for the day to day and for what may come when we are older.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
