The first thing that comes to our mind when we talk about overeating is weight gain. But that’s not all, overeating doesn’t just make the number on the scale go up but also damages the important regions of your brain, leading to brain damage, says a new study.
The study
The research used a technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), which compared the brains of 59 obese adolescents with 61 healthy adolescents. DTI is the new technology that tracks the diffusion of water along with the white matter of the brain. White matter is the nerve-fibre-rich matter found in the deeper tissues of the brain.
The researchers derived the fractional anisotropy (FA) of these people, which was correlated with the condition of the white matter in the brain. The lower the FA, the more damaged was the white matter.
On comparing the FA values of all the participants, it was seen that obese people had lower levels of FA.
The damages lower levels of FA can cause
The brain change caused in obese people due to the lower levels of FA was related to important regions that are responsible for the controlling the emotions, appetite and cognitive functions.
This same brain damage was caused by increased blood sugar and insulin resistance. The study even showed a positive relation between brain damage and hormones like leptin (regulates hunger and stores fat) and insulin.
In short, obesity causes inflammation that can lead to brain damage, increased blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and leptin resistance.
We don’t yet know if the brain damage caused by overeating can be reversed or not. So, avoid overeating to protect your brain from the damage and gaining those extra kilos.