Obesity can contribute to cognitive decline, study says

Obesity can affect memory and brain function on older adults when combined with at least one other metabolic condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, according to new research.

The study, published online this week in Neurology journal, included more than 6,400 people, most of whom were men at an average age of 50. Participants were tested three times over a 10-year period for cognitive functions and for metabolic risk factors.

Those who were classified as obese and who had at least one metabolic risk factor showed a 22.5 percent faster cognitive decline than those of normal weight and no risk factors. Of the 582 study participants who were considered obese, 350 of them also had a metabolic risk factor.