Study: Kids with this chronic disease suffer from poor brain health

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S. is astronomical. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a staggering 20 percent of kids between age 2 and 19 are obese. That’s 14.7 million children. 

Obesity is linked to chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. And now, scientists say not only does obesity negatively impact physical health, it also negatively impacts brain health.  

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine looked at over 5,000 children of ages 9 and 10 years old. Using brain imaging tools, they found the brain structure of overweight children was different compared to kids of normal weight. Specifically, what’s called the white matter in the brain was affected. White matter is responsible for learning potential, and coordinating communication between the different brain regions

“At this point, we can’t yet say whether weight influences brain health, or if brain health influences weight, or if it’s a little of both,” lead study author Dr. Simone Kaltenhauser, writes in a news release. But we’re confident we will be able to do so in the future.”

The study was presented November 28th at the Radiological Society of North American annual Meeting.