If you’re looking for a way to turn back time, look no further than your waistline. A new study has found that losing significant weight can rejuvenate your brain by about five years. So if you have extra pounds, it’s time to lose them for your health and your brain! Keep reading to learn more.
A Canadian study that says a lot about brain rejuvenation.
A recent study has shown that bariatric surgery can have unexpected benefits. Led by Andréanne Michaud, professor at Université Laval. The study found that patients who underwent the surgery lost significant weight, and that this weight loss was associated with improved brain function.
Obesity has long been associated with health problems, ranging from heart disease to diabetes. Now, new research suggests that obesity could also lead to premature brain aging. In a recent study, scientists used brain imaging to compare the brains of obese adults to those of healthy adults. They found that obese adults showed signs of accelerated brain aging, even when they were only 18 years old. This finding provides further evidence of the adverse health effects of obesity and underscores the importance of maintaining a healthy weight.
This finding suggests that bariatric surgery can not only help improve physical health, but also rejuvenate the brain. Dr. Michaud and his team are currently working on a larger study to confirm other promising results related to brain rejuvenation. If the results are confirmed, bariatric surgery could offer a new treatment option for patients with cognitive impairment.
Bariatric surgery: what is it?
Bariatric surgery is a type of surgery that is performed on obese patients. The surgery reduces the size of the stomach, which allows the patient to eat less and lose weight. There are several types of bariatric surgery, and the specific procedure performed depends on each patient’s needs. For example, some patients may undergo gastric bypass. While others may undergo a sleeve gastrectomy. Bariatric surgery is not a magic bullet for obesity, but it can be an effective tool for those who are committed to lifestyle changes and weight loss. Patients undergoing bariatric surgery will need to be closely monitored by their doctor to ensure they are losing weight safely and effectively.
Predict brain age based on your weight.
Dr. Michaud, with the help of his team, established a brain age prediction model on adults of different ages in good health in comparison with those suffering from severe obesity who underwent bariatric surgery. Having followed these cases for one to two years after the operation, Dr. Michaud inferred a change in brain gray matter density with age. Verdict: their brains are younger by an average of 5.6 years. Dr. Michaud recalls that during this period, these adults were able to regain their brain age adequate to those in good health.
What happens to our brain when we suddenly lose weight?
1- GO TO SABOTAGE MODE.
In one study, researchers looked at participants who had lost around 10% of their body weight, and they found they had less leptin before they lost weight.
Leptin is a hormone that signals satiety and prompts you to stop eating. When your total fat level is lower, these cells shrink because leptin is released from fat cells. This signals to the brain a lack of energy. Your brain’s natural response is to increase your caloric intake. What makes you want to eat high-calorie foods.
When this happens, there’s one thing you need to know… get more sleep. Sleep balances your leptin levels. By sleeping, exercising, reducing stress, and reducing your sugar intake, you can put your hormones on track for successful weight loss.
2- THE GLOBAL VOLUME OF THE BRAIN IN INCREASE.
In a more recent study, researchers found that excess body fat was linked to lower overall brain volume, a potential precursor to cognitive problems associated with aging. The study found that this effect was more pronounced the higher the weight of the participants in the midsection of the body.
They speculated that this may be because belly fat produces cytokines, small proteins involved in cell signaling which, when too abundant, can start to become inflammatory. When this happens, it can have a massive negative effect on various types of neurotransmitters, reducing overall brain volume.
If you’re losing weight because you’re adding new cardiovascular exercise to your routine, you should know that it also increases brain size. Especially when it comes to high intensity activity. Larger brain volume is generally associated with problem solving and information processing.
3- YOUR BRAIN BECOMES MORE EFFICIENT.
In a study of women who had lost weight following surgery, researchers found that participants performed better on certain executive function tests than those who had taken the same tests before their surgery. They were literally better at strategizing, organizing and planning, even though they had lost weight through surgery.
The findings were potentially linked to how women metabolize sugar at a higher rate in their brains than those who are lower weight. Once they lost weight post-surgery, the participants’ brain metabolic rate dropped to a lower level.
In summary…
The mechanisms involved in how the connection between the body and the brain works can be complex, but one thing is clear: Weight loss affects the structure of your brain, and it does so in quite a positive way.
