I know I recently wrote about brain health but I attended a presentation by Dr. Daniel Amen the other night and learned about the close correlation between excess body weight and the decline of brain function.
What does your weight have to do it your brain? Well, as your weight increases the size of your brain decreases. WOW! Did you know that? I didn’t. Your ability to reason, pay attention and your memory decreases as your weight goes up. So the higher your weight goes, the smaller your brain becomes.
Excess body fat is dangerous. According to Dr. Daniel Amen, fat is the largest endocrine organ in your body. It stores toxins, releases lipids into your bloodstream, produces inflammatory cytokines, promotes insulin resistance and turns healthy testosterone in men into dangerous forms of estrogen.
Now remember that you do not get fat from consuming healthy dietary fats. You become fat by eating sugary foods or foods that quickly turn to sugar as refined carbohydrates do. We know that consuming these foods also contributes to diabetes and obesity or a term coined by Dr. Mark Hyman, diabesity.
But did you know that having diabetes and being obese can affect your memory and put you at higher risk for dementia? Living a sedentary lifestyle, consuming too much alcohol, using nicotine and other addictive substances, exposure to toxins, and consuming excess sugar and foods high on the glycemic index can all contribute to diabetes, obesity and ultimately a decline in brain function.
Another consequence of being overweight can be the development of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a potentially very dangerous sleep disorder that can lead to brain damage because of lowered blood flow in the brain. When blood flow in the brain is reduced, your risk of dementia increases. IF you lose weight, and are treated for the apnea, this condition may be reversible.
There’s more, and as I complete the course I am taking on brain health, I’ll share more of what I learn. Your brain is your most valuable asset and when you kill off brain cells, they don’t grow back. So treat your brain with the same care you would use with a loved one because it’s the only one you’ll have.
As a health coach, I work with women who are facing serious health challenges like heart disease, metabolic syndrome and diabetes or who have been diagnosed as having a precursor to a serious health issue such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar. I help them make food and lifestyle changes so they can get healthy, live longer and enjoy a fuller, happier, more energetic life. If you would like to have a free consultation about the health challenges you have and the improvements you would like to see in your health, click here to schedule a no strings attached call.
