Medical X-Press – Gillian Kiley
A new study by Brown University epidemiologists found that children on the threshold of obesity or overweight in the first two years of life had lower perceptual reasoning and working memory scores than lean children when tested at ages five and eight. The study also indicated that IQ scores may be lower for higher-weight children. Obesity, which can dysregulate hormones that act in multiple brain regions, is associated with lower cognition in adults, the researchers said. But until now, despite the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, there has been scant research on whether weight status impacts how children learn, remember information and manage attention and impulses. (more)