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Obesity is clearly a major concern and focus of workplace wellness programs. Given this, among other topics, we have reported on the connections between obesity and cardiovascular disease, as well as how focusing on obesity in the workplace can help reduce health costs.

Now a new study reports on another potential negative effect of obesity: It ages the brain.

According to the University of Cambridge, “From middle-age, the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions.”

“Our brains naturally shrink with age, but scientists are increasingly recognising that obesity – already linked to conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease – may also affect the onset and progression of brain ageing; however, direct studies to support this link are lacking.”

The post describes the research: “The researchers divided the data into two categories based on weight: lean and overweight. They found striking differences in the volume of white matter in the brains of overweight individuals compared with those of their leaner counterparts. Overweight individuals had a widespread reduction in white matter compared to lean people.”

“The team then calculated how white matter volume related to age across the two groups. They discovered that an overweight person at, say, 50 years old had a comparable white matter volume to a lean person aged 60 years, implying a difference in brain age of 10 years.”

But as the post notes: “Strikingly, however, the researchers only observed these differences from middle-age onwards, suggesting that our brains may be particularly vulnerable during this period of aging.”

The cause is not completely known, the researchers said.

Science Daily reports that first author Dr Lisa Ronan from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge said: “As our brains age, they naturally shrink in size, but it isn't clear why people who are overweight have a greater reduction in the amount of white matter. We can only speculate on whether obesity might in some way cause these changes or whether obesity is a consequence of brain changes.”