Bigger Belly, Smaller Brain

Another reason to skip the pasta: Being fat causes your brain to shrink, say University of Pittsburgh researchers. Scans of 94 older people revealed that the brains of the overweight were 4 percent smaller than those of healthy-weight people; in the obese, they were 8% smaller. Excess weight restricts blood vessels and lung capacity, depriving the brain of oxygen, says study author Paul Thompson PhD. The result is a prematurely aged brain.

Image from Corbis

If you liked this article, you’ll love these:

• Creatine confidential
• The superpowder
• New use for an old supplement