Obesity Might Lower Teens' Thinking Skills, Study Suggests
MONDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- As the childhood obesity
epidemic continues in the United States, more kids are
developing an array of heart risk factors linked to obesity
known as the "metabolic syndrome." Now, a study suggests that
these obesity-linked changes may be affecting kids' minds as
well as their bodies. The new study finds that adolescents with
these conditions -- which include abdominal obesity, unhealthy
cholesterol/trigylceride levels and high blood pressure -- are
more likely to perform more poorly on tests of mental ability
compared to their healthy peers. MRI scans also showed certain
worrisome differences in brain structure among children with the
metabolic syndrome, the researchers said. According to study
lead author Dr. Antonio Convit, until recently it's been thought
that "the bad things that can happen among kids with metabolic
syndrome are 20 years in the future. But, this work demonstrates
that these health issues are hav