High waist-to-hip ratio in middle age could lead to poor brain health later, research shows
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The team of British, German, French and Dutch doctors found that a healthy diet in middle age, coupled with a low waist-to-hip ratio – a quick measure of fat distribution that may help indicate a person's overall health – to be 'associated with better brain and cognitive health in older age'.
People who carry
more weight around their middle than their hips may be at a higher risk of developing certain health conditions – including a reduction in
cognitive health
The team said the data, which included multiple brain scans, diet records and waist-hip measurements, suggest healthy eating and keeping that tight waist-hip ratio leads to 'enhanced hippocampal functional connectivity' – the ability of the hippocampus to connect with other regions of the brain for processes underlying learning and memory – and 'white matter integrity'.
A healthy diet in middle age, coupled with a low waist-to-hip ratio, was associated with better brain and cognitive health in older age, researchers found. Photo: Shutterstock
The doctors found 40-somethings who were larger in the midriff area were more likely to display 'poorer working memory and executive function' as they hit their seventies. Photo: Shutterstock
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