40 AND ABOVE

Heavy people’s brains may age faster

Middle-aged people who are overweight or obese have lower levels of certain brain chemicals that signal good brain health and function, according to a new study using high-tech brain scans. The findings suggest that excess body fat may speed the brain aging process, which could put people at greater risk of developing age-related diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease, reported researchers from the San Francisco VA Medical Center in the Annals of Neurology. They found that the higher a person’s body mass index, the lower the concentration of N-acetyl-aspartate, a brain chemical that serves several functions and also acts as a marker for overall brain health.