Abstract
Evidence accumulated to date suggests that excess weight in the adult population is associated with a wide range of impairments in executive function. However, most studies have only examined the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the cognitive function of individuals with overweight and obesity. This study examined the potential associations of markers of adiposity (BMI, body fat, and visceral fat) with five domains of executive function including cognitive flexibility, inhibition, monitoring, planning, and working memory in a sample of 87 adult with overweight (n = 34) and obesity (n = 53). The results show that obese people had poorer working memory than those with overweight. After controlling for educational levels and physical activity, the results suggest that neither the waist–hip index not visceral fat were associated with cognitive function. In overweight, body fat was negatively associated with executive components of inhibition (p = 0.05) and monitoring (p = 0.02). In the obesity subgroup, body fat was negatively associated with inhibition (0.02) and working memory (0.04). The results provide evidence of the importance of adiposity for cognitive function. The implications for understanding the influence of markers of adiposity in adults with overweight and obesity are discussed.
Highlights
Overweight and obesity are significant global public health problems
The biological mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment are not fully understood, the evidence accumulated to date suggests that excess weight increases inflammation and oxidative stress, which have been associated with poorer executive function and lower self-regulation due to the indirect effect of the obesity-induced activation of immune responses [7]
The present study aimed to examine the association between body mass index and executive function in adult individuals with overweight and obesity
Summary
Overweight and obesity are significant global public health problems. Their prevalence has increased dramatically over the past three decades in many regions of the world (WHO 2007). A recent meta-analysis of 72 studies and 4904 participants with overweight and obesity found that a higher BMI was associated with an increased range of impairments in executive function, including deficits in inhibition, working memory, decision making, planning, and cognitive flexibility [10]. Similar findings have been reported in a previous systematic review [11], showing that obese individuals display poorer executive function in tasks related to planning, problem solving, or decision making than healthy individuals. Despite these findings, research has demonstrated that deficits in executive function (EF) due to excess weight are potentially modified by diet and physical exercise.
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