Obesity Linked to Accelerated Brain Aging

A study published in Molecular Psychiatry using Mendelian randomization on 681,275 individuals found that higher body mass index is causally linked to reduced cortical thickness in the brain.

The research identified that the precentral and fusiform gyrus regions were particularly affected, with visceral fat and C-reactive protein levels also correlating with lower cortical thickness.

The findings suggest that obesity-induced inflammation may contribute to structural brain changes, potentially increasing the risk for various neuropsychiatric conditions in the future.