Fat, Dumb AND Crazy!?

We know that excess body fat puts us at an increased risk for heart disease, heart attacks and metabolic disease. Throw that on top of the fact that excess body fat can be functionally debilitating in some cases and totally unattractive it seems clear that carrying too much body fat is not a healthy state of existence. If all these negatives haven't convinced you to start seriously thinking about your exercise and eating habits, perhaps the prospect of being demented, crazy and overweight will kick your butt into gear:

''The greater the amount of visceral fat, the smaller the brain," she tells WebMD. While she didn't follow the participants to see if they developed dementia, she says that ''smaller brain volume is associated with poor cognitive function on testing and a greater risk of dementia on follow-up.'' - WebMD

A study done at Boston University's School of Medicine explored the connection between deep visceral fat and brain size. Astoundingly, a similar 2008 study found that subjects with the most belly fat were three times as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

Clearly carrying excess body fat is a sure way to develop health issues. With all the known cardiovascular and metabolic effects, more and more research is uncovering that unhealthy lifestyle choices, poor diet and lack of exercise are precursors to other medical issues concerning brain health and even cancer. Just imagine how long our body may last, how functional it may be and how much more youthful it could be longer if we made better preventative choices...