Relationship between body mass index and brain volume in healthy adults.
There is a growing evidence that elevated body mass index (BMI) is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcome, though no study has examined whether morphometric differences are found in persons across the adult life span. We compared 201 healthy individuals in normal weight, overweight, and obese groups (aged 17-79). After correcting for demographic differences, obese individuals showed smaller whole brain and total gray matter volume than normal weight and overweight individuals. These findings support an independent relationship between BMI and brain structure and demonstrate that these differences are not limited to older adults.
Gunstad
John
J
Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA. jgunstad@kent.edu
Paul
Robert H
RH
Cohen
Ronald A
RA
Tate
David F
DF
Spitznagel
Mary Beth
MB
Grieve
Stuart
S
Gordon
Evian
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001284:Atrophy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D009929:Organ Size; D012016:Reference Values; D055815:Young Adult