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Obesity may reduce cognitive function
Obesity not only increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer but might also inhibit brain function. Psychologists assessed the cognitive skills of obese people before and after weight loss surgery and found that patients scored higher on brain function tests after shedding some pounds. The participants underwent gastric band surgery, an operation which reduces the size of the stomach and so the amount of food a person requires to feel full. This allows patients to avoid overeating as their appetite is vastly reduced. Twelve weeks after the procedure the patients had lost an average of 50 pounds each. Researchers at Kent State University in Ohio also used MRI imaging to study the brain structure of the participants. In particular, they examined nerve bundles that shuttle information through the brain. They found the fatty sheaths which protect the structures and speed up their function were often damaged. Lead research fellow John Gunstad, said: “Doctors have known for a long time that being overweight is bad for your body.” The research shows that being overweight can also damage the brain: “especially,” he notes, “the parts of your brain most important for paying attention and learning new things.” Prior to the surgery several individuals in the group achieved such low marks they could be classified as having a learning disability. The cognitive tests focused on information gathering and analysis, memory and verbal reasoning abilities. The research is particularly relevant when considering the effects of childhood obesity on learning and development. As the number of overweight children worldwide continues to rise, significant changes to educational curriculum could be required to help them reach their academic potential. The study’s results also support the use of weight loss surgery to treat obesity and hints at the reversible nature of cognitive impairment associated with the condition.
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Authors: MSc Ihosvany Castellanos Santos. (Master Degree in Higher Education, Assistant Professor)
Lic Isaac Rondòn Àlvarez. (Biologist, Assistant Professor)
MSc Abel Pèrez Càrdenas. (Master Degree in Higher Education, Assistant Professor)
MSC Rosa E. Acosta Àlvarez. (Master Degree in Higher Education, Assistant Professor)
Dr Niurka Yohanka Pèrez Lòpez. (Master Degree in Psychology, Instructor Professor)
Development:
Through this synthesis we intend to make public certain arguments that are the result of a study conducted in our area (Trinidad de Cuba) to reaffirm the points made in his article.
Our investigation covered the population of general education students, except the first two years of primary education according to the analysis of the results obtained in the tests and techniques used, we conclude that:
1) It is an important risk factor for the development of diseases (hypertension, dislispidemy, heart disease, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, etc.), resulting in individual spending in the health sector.
2) It is one of the main "social stigmas", reducing employment opportunities and education, resulting in individual psychological cost (decrease of self-concept, self-image and self-efficacy, increased anxiety and dysphoric affects, decreased overall quality of interpersonal relationships, etc.).
3) It is a syndrome with a high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity (anxiety disorders, depression, addictive behaviors, development of bulimic symptoms and / or anorexic, etc.).
Few disorders are as visible to others such as obesity, and even less disruption generate so much ridicule from their victims and condemned by others. Obese people typically respond with shame, embarrassment and guilt. Many of them, and in particular patients, middle-class and high, are charged with a legacy of failure to control their weight. The load can not lead to clinical depression, but reduces the patient's self-esteem in some areas of operation and affects the quality of life of the individual. The presence of complications such as diabetes can intensify feelings of shame and guilt. The frustration and grief are intensified when patients after weight loss re-upload it, sometimes exacerbated by the same professionals who suggest that "would not really want to go down, otherwise it would have more to lose weight."
All results show unmistakably that all obese is permanently damaged the affective sphere and knowing that this area of the personality is a basic cognitive process, we note that it deteriorates ostensibly, although obese patients present a normal ratio intelligence and cognitive potential latent, as was demonstrated in our work.
Also it was found that while the surgery is accompanied by an improvement in mood, self-esteem and body image, patients should anticipate changes in their personal relationships as their family and friends adjust to their light weight and their styles active living. It is also important to adequately diagnose the presence of a personality disorder (especially borderline personality), because these patients are haywire after surgery, but studies have failed to find a personality psychopathology consistently predict weight loss or psychological response to surgery.