Sorry for the over the top headline, but the answer to the question appears to be yes…and please read this whole post, there is something really good at the end.
How Being Overweight Affects The Brain
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh scanned the brains of 94 people over the age of 70. They were looking to see the differences in the brains of people who were of normal weight (BMI under 25), overweight (BMI 25-30), and obese (BMI over 30).
If you are 5 foot 10 and you weigh 220, you have a BMI of 31.6 and would be considered obese. If you are 5 foot 10 and weigh 180, your BMI is 25.8 and you would be considered overweight for purposes of the study. There are certain athletes with lot of muscle mass that make the BMI inaccurate, but for the rest of us it is a valid measurement.
The Scary Results
It turns out that Obese people have 8% less brain tissue than people of normal weight. Overweight people have 4% less brain tissue than people of normal weight.
According to Dr. Paul Thompson, a UCLA professor of neurology, “This represents ‘severe’ brain degeneration, that’s a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at a much greater risk of Alzheimer’s and other diseases that attack the brain… But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s, if you can eat healthy and keep your weight under control.”
*Source: Raji CA, Ho AJ, Parikshak NN, Becker JT, Lopez OL, Kuller LH, Hua X, Leow AD, Toga AW, Thompson PM. Brain structure and obesity, Hum Brain Mapp 2009 Aug 6
More Bad News
The parts of the brain that degenerated for overweight people are very important, it wasn’t brain mass that we can spare.
Here are the areas effected:
- Frontal and temporal lobes: Critical for planning and memory
- Anterior cingulate gyrus: Responsible for attention and executive functions
- Hippocampus: Important for long-term memory
- Basal ganglia: Essential for proper movement and coordination
Furthermore, the brains of overweight people looked 8 years older than those of people of normal weight, and the brains of obese people looked a whopping 16 years older!
So How Do We Stop This
I hope that this research has helped motivate you to get to a normal weight if you aren’t already there. I wish there were a magical, “brain pill” that could stop the damage. But the only solution is losing the weight.
You probably already know there is only one thing you can do in order to get there, and that is to eat the right foods at the right portions.
Exercise can help, but recent research demonstrates that exercise plays a much smaller role than calorie consumption. In fact, it can hurt your weight loss efforts if you aren’t careful because people seem to overestimate how much more they can eat after exercising.
So when you do exercise, make sure to track the calories you burn. This way, you won’t exaggerate the effects in your mind.
Do You Have the Willpower?
If you have the desire to get to a normal weight and for whatever reason just can’t seem to get yourself to eat right, then you are not alone. Only about 5% succeed in losing weight over the long term.
These habits are hard to break, and we just aren’t designed to “not eat” the food that is around us. In this case, abundance is a double edge sword!
Furthermore, willpower is kind of a myth. We consciously only have the ability to exhibit conscious self control in one area at a time. I have written about the cookie study before, but I think it is worth repeating (in a very short form).
Subjects were brought into a room and asked to solve some brain puzzles. Another group was brought into the same room and asked to solve the same brain puzzles, but in this case they had a plate of cookies in front of them – and were told that they could not eat them!
The group that had to “not eat the cookies” performed dramatically worse than the group without cookies.
*Source: RE Baumeister, E Bratslavsky, M Muraven, and DM Tice. “Ego Depletion: Is the Active Self a Limited Resource?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 74, 1998.
This means that when you are trying to avoid “bad” foods, it affects just about every other aspect of your day. So when a bit of stress hits, bye, bye diet.
So unless you have a stress free life, or amazing self control – changing your eating habits consciously is a tough road.
Shameless Plug – There is Hope
This is leading somewhere! If you can’t make the change consciously, then you have to make these changes unconsciously. A great strategy for nudging your unconscious mind in the right direction is to control your environment. Get rid of the bad foods in your house and workplace. Put reminders on the refrigerator, plan and prepare your meals ahead of time, etc… the more you can do with your environment to prime your unconscious mind the better.
And if this isn’t enough, try hypnosis. Hypnosis is the ONLY scientifically validated method for training your unconscious mind to eat right (and this is without using willpower – which just doesn’t work). Hypnosis works at a totally different level in the brain. It actually works at the level of self image.
If you don’t want to use Dr. Roberta Temes’ program, you can probably find someone in your area. Just make sure they are a licensed psychologist with a specialty in weight loss and not just a “hypnotherapist”. Expect to pay at least $200 a session for anyone of quality, and you will need anywhere from 4-7 sessions.
I do think Dr. Temes’ program is the way to start though. The home use sessions have been shown to work (by an independent source) for 92% (over 9 out of 10) of the people who try them. The program includes eight actual hypnosis sessions.
They are also kind of fun, and take less than 20 minutes a day. And of course we give you one full year to see if they work for you.
The Brain Health Weight Loss Special
Because of this new reason to lose weight and because we haven’t had a special in a long time, here is what we are going to do.
You can test drive the program out for just the cost of shipping ($5.95). And the page I am sending you to is a page we use for special partners where instead of $119, you can get the program for just $97.
http://www.hypnosisnetwork.com/hypnosis/ewl/special
Please take the time to read the reviews, not all are positive – but you will see that most people are really getting something out of this.
The coupon will work until Monday the 28th at 11:59 PM CST.
Also, please comment on the research at the beginning of this article – I respond to all posts.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
WOW…I’m already aware of how dangerous it is to be obese, but this is definitely an eye-opener. I have Dr. Temes CDs and I need to get them out again. They started to work, but then I didn’t follow through, which is a major problem that I had. I’ve been battling weight for over 30 years and I’m having such difficulties right now staying motivated. I already have “fogginess” and a hard time remembering things. Plus, I have a hard time concentrating. The good news is that it can be fixed. Tonight I will get the CDs out again!!!
I don’t know how I could have missed them, but I scrolled down to read the comments and all there was is this “leave a comment” ….so I did…which is “I can’t find the comments”
What concerns me about this article is that you provide the ‘doom & gloom’ aspects of what happens to our brain when an individual is overweight; but yet, you do not show any data as to what occurs when there is significant weight loss. Are the effected brain areas totally & forever irrepairable? Although degenerated due to obesity, can the brain be regenerated at all? If one knows he/she cannot repair the significant damage obesity has on their brain, what gives them hope to continue on w/future weight loss? Your article should provide data that also reflects significant changes that can occur with weight loss - no matter the method used to accomplish them. I have to say, your article bummed me out; my weight gain isn’t primarily due to to over-indulgence, but to steroid use during cancer treatment. Are there studies concerning any issues such as this?
I have remember my childhood. Ballet from 5 years old until 17 years old. I am now 54 years old.
I love ballet so I ordered some ballet shoes to do an exercise to the DVD in my lounge.
I remember doing ballet and feeling good.
As the ballet terms are in French that keeps my mind going.
All people should learn to dance. It is mentioned in the Bible.
I wanted to talk some specifics. Back in February, instead of purchasing your program, which I was about ready to do, I instead purchased a program (which was actually a book with a CD in it) written by a Dr. In Britain. The book is entitled ” I Can Make You Thin”.
I must be honest -the book was on sale, it was cheaper than your program, and I thought “this is a good first step”. Also, I didn’t have to wait for any time do obtain a dash all I had to do is go to the Barnes &Noble and get it. So I did.
I was very successful on this program, in fact, I might say that the program exceeded my wildest dreams. When I started I was about a 42 inch waist, and by June I had gotten down to a 34 inch waist. This was amazing - I would not of thought that something like this would’ve been possible.
However, I have observed that, Since about July or August, the effectiveness of the program has diminished. I don’t listen to the CD anymore, because it doesn’t seem to be working anymore. While there could be a couple of reasons for this (one of the side benefits of this weight loss is that I’ve increased my running distance from 2, to 6 or 7 miles a day - no kidding!), Such as the increased exercise creating a demand for calories that I can’t effectively control so as to continue in a weight loss mode (I hasten to add that I have not regained any weight), I’ve been wondering whether it is not time to switch programs.
I was always aware of your program - it is just that this one was working so well, that while it was working I saw no reason to confuse the issue - but now may be the time.
From my own personal observations, I can also tell you that the program I was using does seem to work like you said that of Dr. Temes does, that is, that is, it operates on the level of the self esteem.
I think you’re probably aware of this other program that I was using. I would certainly appreciate it if you would give me an assessment of yours compared to that one. I still have 4 inches to go to get to where I want to be-after going 2/3 way, it has been OK to sit here for about a month, but I want to move ahead and complete the job. I may need your program to get me the rest of the way. Therefore, please advise.
Jake
I was wondering if there had been any study on the effects of hypnosis and the Syndrome X & cortisol problems. I do not have a problem restricting calories, and eat lots of vegetables, a little fruit, a little whole grains…no sugar, limit carbs, fats, meats. It truly is metabolic for me.
I would love to hear from you.
Thanks, Barbara Fall
Jake, I am familiar with the therapist in the UK with that program. He is a talented guy for sure. He more about NLP than hypnosis and has a nice following. He is not really a psychologist, but more of a motivator. I think he can get results for a lot of issues, but he specialized in none.
Some of the difference is just preference, but the main difference is the research behind the suggestions. Dr. Temes program is based on research and not just intuition, so the results are peramanent and long term.
The fact that you got short term results is not surprising, but in order to be truly effective a program is better served to be a total lifestyle change with enjoyability inserted into the equation.
Regards,
Michael
Barbara, About metabolic disorders, I have seen no research supporting hypnosis as a viable treatment. For weight loss it works purely at the level of behavior. There is some great research into IBS, Pain, and skin disorders, but until I see research I do not want to make any claims. It possibly could help with cortisol (as a stress reliever) but that is speculative.
Regards,
Michael
I would like people to know that there are many excellent hypnotherapists and certified hypnotists in practice today. I disagree with the writer to look only for a licensed psychologist. Hypnotists and hypnotherapists constantly work with clients using hypnotism as the modality of choice for progress and for assisting clients achieve their results. Hypnotists practice, study and grow in the art of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. In many cases they are better practitioners of hypnotism than licensed professionals.
I have a child who needed an extensive steroid treatment for over a year, at an unbelievable dose when she was 9/10. She gained an incredible amount of weight and it continued as she got older. All the experts we saw over the years of her illness were sympathetic but not helpful regarding her weight. Some even suggested that the changes caused by the steroid were at a cellular level, even in the bone marrow where so many important cells originate. She has a wonderful supportive husband and now, after having children, she has lost almost 70 lbs during the past year.
I’m not a scientist, so this is only anecdotal. Iknow that this is only one example but Ann I hope you can take a little from what we have experienced and have hope that your weight loss efforts will not be in vain. My daughter started her journey with the focus of getting strong and healthy, and the weight loss happened with her efforts. (PS the experts said she couldn’t have kids either but I’m the proud Nanna of three now.)
My weight issue is due to a car accident which caused damage to three areas of my spine and some internal injuries. Before the accident I was an active person in my community and exercised six days each week with a combination of aerobics, dance, weight training, cycling, and swimming. Several operations later, the bones are fixed but more surgery is planned in the future to try to improve my issues with my legs. I’ve had several vertebrae fused and rods have been put in the lumbar area but I’ve been told to restrict how much weight I lift or work with. This is due to the degree of compression that I experienced. Nerve damage has affected one leg about 35%. All the things I used to do to exercise are not possible or need to be modified so much that they are virtually useless as an exercise. Without sounding profane, I am limited to doing things while on my hands and knees or on my back. So, I can scrub a flood but cannot stand and mop it. Add menopause and a thyroid problem into the mix and I am in a state of fluctuating hormones. I have recently found this site and hope this will help me. I am more concerned with getting strong and healthy and less about getting thin. Conventional medicine hasn’t fixed me and I think it’s time to try something else. I am counting on the info here that diet is more important than the exercise.
I am 52 yrs of age and have multiple food sensitivities and IBS and chronic lower back problems. I struggle with my weight even though I have a fairly restricted diet, my main aim at present is trying to gain strength and become more healthy as my health has been poor the last 15yrs. Do you believe hypnotherapy would be able to help me ?
This is the first time I come across such article linking brain tissue reduction to obesity. Some people used to joke that being fat and stupid so it seems there’s scientific evidence to back that up.. Great posting. Cheers!
Like Ann, I would like to know if the ‘brain damage’ caused by being overweight or obese is reversible with weight loss. I realize that there are other health benefits to losing weight, but if the loss of brain tissue is irreversible, then why tax our little brains with worry over our big bodies? (It surely can’t be good for one’s self-esteem to feel fat and stupid!)
It seems to me that scanning a brain at a single point in someone’s life does not give much insight into what has been happening to it, and for how long. I appreciate that the information provided here about the research may be only a precis of that provided by the researchers , but it is not clear from this article how the researchers know that it is the obesity which causes the brain cell loss, and not the loss of brain cells causing or exacerbating overeating/unhealth eating. Is there any evidence to support the former?
Deb and others asking about what might happen after losing weight - will they regain their lost brain tissue. To my knowledge there are no definitive studies to show conclusively that you can regain lost tissue after losing weight. However, there are volumes of studies to indicate that the brain, far from being static, is a dynamic organ that can spring back after serious damage. So there is no reason to believe the tissue would not return in time.
However, the study quoted in this article looked at subjects over the age of 70, when brain plasticity is at its lowest. Therefore, I would think that doing something positive about your weight before you are elderly might help you regain lost tissue and perhaps avoid brain tissue loss when you need all the brain tissue you can get. Still, likely bringing your BMI to below 25 after age 70 might arrest the brain loss trend and therefore help you live a better life than you might have had you not gotten your weight under control.
Dr. Temes’ program, at worst might stop the loss of brain tissue, and at best, might help you grow a stronger and larger brain over time. That’s got to be a good thing no matter how you look at it. Win-Win.
If you’re struggling with your weight, and you can’t seem to get it under control yourself, you need help - needing help doesn’t make you a weaker person - it only makes you human. Asking for help is intelligent use of resources. Purchasing a hypnosis program KNOWN to work is even more intelligent use of resources.
Good morning and thanks for the massage . I wanted to know how age, weight and height is being calculated for you to know whether you are obesse,overweght etc
secondly, if evaporated milk can overwigh you.
Thank you
First I want to say that the questions and comments here and in my email box are wonderful. A lot of smart people are reading, which is flattering.
The two biggest questions I have received are whether this damage is reversable AND whether it could be the brain damage causing the weight gain. More specifically, does this study show causation - or just correlation.
I contacted Dr. Paul Thompson, the neurologist quoted in the article about whether we could get these brain cells back. Here was his response:
————————————————————————–
Thanks Michael - I liked your post - thank you!
On the question of whether the deficits are reversible, it is not completely known, but there are some plausible theories,
depending on which types of tissue are lost.
We know that by the age of 3 or so, you have all the neurons you are ever going to have in your life, and the brain can’t make new neurons - except in truly exceptional cases, e.g. if stem cells are transplanted into the brain, etc. So if there is a deficit in the number of neurons, or if the neurons are progressively dying, the brain will not tend to make new ones to replace them.
But we do know that exercise (especially aerobic, vigorous exercise, but really any form of physical activity) can enhance blood flow to the brain, and that extra blood brings oxygen and glucose to the tissue that remains.
So it’s possible that physical activity can enhance the firing of brain cells that remain. And, we know exercise helps with concentration and multitasking.
So, the functional effects are certainly reversible, to some extent, so long as people are motivated to exercise.
As you say in your article, that’s easier said than done - not everyone is going to get up and lose weight or even exercise more - I know this myself as I run or walk 7 miles every day and cannot lose weight, despite trying very hard.
But the exercise will certainly boost brain function, and this can tend to counteract the effects of any tissue deficits (and improve people’s ability to handle stress and depression, too). And it does not have to be strenuous exercise, it could simply be the physical activity of doing household chores, etc. (i.e. it is not vital to go to the track and work out to achieve some cardiovascular benefit to the brain).
I hope this helps,
Paul
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I have also asked him more about the correlation versus causation and will post his response. From the way I looked at the study, it did not appear to “prove” causation. However, there was a theoretical basis for doing the study. Excess fat changes the chemistry entering the brain responsible for removing plaque and other brain maintenance functions.
Anyway - thanks for pushing me!!!!
Dr. Roberta Temes’ program will work for a non-english native (with reasonably good understanding of the English language) ?
Would you reach out to people in Nigeria who would want to use this programme? my experience is that such programmes do not reach out to Nigeria. if you would, I would want to give it a go.
Regards
Nadia
Fascinating article. And I would like to add weight to your suggestion to go see a hypnotherapist to help lose weight. Diets just do not work, and result in people losing muscle mass instead of fat. This is really important because muscle mass is the “furnace” that burns up excess fat. So basically, by constantly dieting, you could be reducing the size of your furnace, where in actual fact, it’s the opposite you should be doing.
Thanks for posting that article Michael.
Wow - thats scary! I always check claims like these, and try to find a creditable source. Here is a source:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122539667/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
In my experience as a practicing hypnotist obesity is a complex issue driven by deeply ingrained patterns of thought, emotion and self-image. Will power is not effective. The small percentage of people who for whom diets actually work, have somehow had some sort of ” change at depth” that has affected these patterns.
Hypnosis is a way for everyone to have this change at depth, because hypnosis can effectively address these negative patterns.
This article proves that we cannot ignore obesity!
John Kane
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