The short answer is a definitive yes.
According to new research done at the University of Pittsburgh, it appears that being overweight or obese can shrink your brain anywhere from 4-8%.1
Even scarier, the brains of overweight people and obese subjects looked anywhere from 8-16 years older than the brains of people of normal weight.
You might be interested in the actual brain functions affected by this brain shrinkage. These include: short term memory, self-control, planning, attention, executive function, long-term memory, as well as proper movement and coordination.
Dr. Paul Thompson, a UCLA professor of neurology sums it up nicely, “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.”
How Important Is Your Brain?
I know a lot of us desire to lose weight because it will make us look better, prevent heart disease, etc., but to me my brain is THE MOST IMPORTANT organ in the body.
Without a healthy brain you can’t:
1. Make Good Decisions
2. Remember Information
3. Handle Stress
4. Age Without Dementia
Most importantly, if you have grandchildren… you simply will not be around to help or enjoy them fully without a healthy brain. There is nothing sadder for a child or grandchild to have a loved one who can’t even remember their name… or have a basic conversation.
Having a healthy brain is something I feel I owe to my children, my spouse, and most importantly my future grandchildren.
And we now know that one huge factor in maintaining a healthy brain is to maintain a healthy bodyweight.
So if nothing else will truly motivate you, maybe this will.
One quick thing, there is a myth out there that we only use 10% of our brains. This is perpetuated by the self-development community so they can claim to help you gain access to the other 90% and take your money.
I just want you to know, this is demonstrably false. You use it all, and even losing 4% is quite a blow… so please don’t use the 10% myth to minimize the results of this study.
If you want to read more about the 10%, you can read this wonderful article from Scientific American.
How interested are you in brain health?
As I was going over this research, it occurred to me that you might also be interested in brain health. There is a lot going on in this area, and it is a passion of mine.
If you would like me to blog more on this subject, please let me know below.
Dr. Steven Sisskind, M.D.
1. 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
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Yes, please do.
I fell 1 month ago and landed headfirst, my cognitive functions have gone way down. It’s like by brain just doesn’t work any more. I went to a nerologist yesterday, he wants to see all my x=rays and to see me again next week.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your note. A head injury is any trauma that causes injury to the scalp, skull or brain. There are two types of head injuries: A closed head injury occurs when you experience head trauma from an object that does not break the skull, while an open brain injury occurs when an object breaks your skull and penetrates the brain. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for improving brain function in patients with head injuries, according to PubMedHealth. Omega-3 fatty acids help rebuild your brain’s neuronal connections as well as receptor sites for neurotransmitters, according to Foodforthebrain.org. The more omega-3 fatty acids in your blood, the more neurotransmitters you make and the less likely you are to experience behavioral and cognitive symptoms from brain injury.
Consult your doctor before you take fish oil supplements.
RealDose has an Omega 3 supplement at : http://www.realdose.com/store/omega-3/
yes…me also.
Have not really gotten on track as yet…too much vacationing….planning on getting on track in Sept.
Please send more brain info. Very interesting.
Thanks M
Very interesting article, and great to know that losing weight can help reverse damage.
Does the research indicate whether the brain recovers once the weight is lost? Or once the brain shrinks – does it shrink for good?
Donna,
Thanks for writing in. Yes, it absolutely can heal and recover over time, which is the great and hopeful news about all this. The human body can be very forgiving when you start to treat it right. So we have it in our own power to change !
Please send me your blog.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Rona, LMFT, SEO, EMDR
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for writing in. Even though we mentioned a “blog” in our article. We actually consider, this comment section our “blog”. Sorry for the confusion.
The brain and it’s functions really interest me. My first husband died of a brain tumor and I’m constantly looking for information and new developments on glioblastoma multiforms.
Hi Jan,
Thanks for sharing. I’m very sorry for your loss. I will keep this in mind for a future article.
My sister also died of a glioblastoma, she was a very big girl, and in the end when we found out about some all natural cures ( but it was too late for her!!). We found that much of the junk food and sugar she ate just feed the tumor and made it bigger. See your brain is the size of 2 fists, her tumor was the size of 1 fist when they found it. These tumors are very fast growing aggressive tumors. It blocked the signals that her brain sent to her body to stand up or move. I believe she died even quicker because of the junk food, only 5 weeks after diagnosis. I tried to get other members of our family to stop bringing her pizza, pop and candy, because I believe even then it would help her to be eating right and loosing wieght in the nursing home. Everyone said oh she is dying don’t take away from her the good stuff she can still enjoy. She was only 41 yrs old. I so do believe the things we eat can effect our brain. So sad that not everyone knows this. Thanks doctor for all the info u keep us up on!
Hi Jessica – I really appreciate you sharing this experience! I’m so sorry for your loss. My hope is that others can grab hold of the significance of what you’re describing! That junk food is NOT just simply a casual pleasure with little effect on health. If your sister would have known that something as simple as food choices could have saved or even just extended her life, my guess is she would have taken the opportunity.
God bless Jessica!
Thank you for sharing this information. Wow! I am in shock. Please send me more information on this.
I made a promiss to myself that I will keep on my journey to get in the best shape of my life. I lost 37 pounds and I have 27 pounds to go. I have two grandchildren and I need to be around to see them grow up. I am so happy my husband and my four children support me on this journey.
This is excellent information to know. They say that 60% of South Africans are obese, I think it is more. What is saddening is that nobody are prepared to take responsibility for their own weight, not even their own children.
I am a Nutritionist and need as much information I can get.
Thanks for sharing.
Yes please tell us more. Thank you.
Thank you. Please send more information.
I am very interested in you blogging more about the brain… especially since the center that controls sleep does not seem to work in my brain. I rarely sleep. Devastating!
Thanks for the info. I have become interested in how the brain works, after I had brain surgery in 1986. So all the information on the brain will be very helpful. Thanks again!
I would love to have more information about the brain and how it functions. I am very much overweight and post-menopausal. When I was younger, I could eat more than I do now, and never put on weigh unless I was pregrant
(7 times).
It is difficult to exercise because I have nerve pain in my legs, my back, and my neck. My pain level right now is close to 9. I would like to go to sleep but the pain makes it difficlt. If I didnt have this much pain, I would go out and walk at least 2 miles like I did before the pain started in 1994. I am really fristraed about having pain every day. I also have tinnitus, which causes anxiety; so I have to take medication so I won’t go into orbit. I do not like to wake up in the mornig because I know the noise nd the pain will start sooner or later.
I will look forward to more information on the brain. Thanks for whatever you can post on your blog.
Hi Carol,
Thanks for sharing. Tinnitus is a condition characterized by hearing noises that have no external source. It is most commonly associated with ringing in the ears, although buzzing and whistling sounds are also common. Research has shown inner ear injuries, alcohol use, allergies, high blood pressure and caffeine may contribute to tinnitus. Although diet cannot cure tinnitus, it may help reduce symptoms. A diet high in Vitamin E may help alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus and may slow its progression, according to Phyllis Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.” Vitamin E is found in eggs, kale, spinach, alfalfa, dairy products, flaxseeds, kelp and soybeans. Fresh pineapple may also help reduce buzzing and ringing sounds associated with tinnitus. This fruit is a rich source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. It also contains bromelain, an enzyme that may reduce inner ear inflammation, according to Balch. Frozen and canned pineapple may not offer the same tinnitus benefits as fresh versions — processing and freezing can destroy bromelain. Lean proteins are building blocks of your body and are necessary for maintaining healthy cells in your brain and inner ear. I would recommend talking to your physician before altering your diet to address tinnitus symptoms.
I have a friend that is a medically trained doctor that gave up practicing medicine and became a nature sunshine dealer for over 40 years. Had the rare experience to ride around with him for several hours and learned how foods affect all the different biological pathways. Regarding tinitus, he had a physician friend that had a bad case and instructed my fiend to do an autopsy upon his death to find out what caused it. What they found was calcium compound crystals had build up on the hairs in the coclea which then acted like a feedback you get from a microphone in front of a speaker. The solution was to consume a mixture of juices of cucumber, celery, carrot and beet juice which has the effect of reabsorbing the calcium crystals off the hair in the coclea and the sound would go away. What could be simpler? I was totally amazed.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for sharing. It’s amazing what a diet with plenty of high nutrient vegetables can do.
I hit the back of my head so hard in a skiing injury 15 years ago and completely lost my memory for over 3 hours. It was really weird because no matter how hard I tried to remember my family members and friends names, etc. I could not. I begged the first aid people at the ski resort to please give me more time to remember for hours. They decided not to wait any longer and said they were calling the ambulance but he nearest hospital was 2 to 3 hours away. I then remembered how much an ambulance ride just less than a mile cost and started to say I am not going to pay $___
for the ambulance at that point I gradually started to remember things and my family and friends that I was on the trip with. What was this and will I have memory decease or complete memory loss as I get older. I already have a hard time remembering where I put things and I’m only 46yrs old so it scares me. Does brain injuries cause further problems later in life or is it something that can be corrected. Also, can my short term memory be corrected?
Hi Bridgitte – I’m so sorry to hear about your accident. The good news is, there is lots you can do to not only improve memory, but also prevent memory loss as we get older. I can’t say how much your personal injury is going to affect you, your personal doctor will have to be the source of that. It might be good to go get a check up and ask if there are any tests they can do.
Also, you want some new motivation to exercise? Exercise not only improves our cognitive ability, but also promotes the growth of new brain cells (especially exercise lasting 30 minutes or longer)! So, you may have extra incentive to get daily physical activity compared to the average person. I hope that helps and I hope you feel better in the near future!
So, perhaps my peri-menopausal brain fog is not due to hormones, at all? It’s due to my weight and lack of exercise? No wonder the (natural) hormones I’m taking aren’t helping any. Here’s a side question: I’m having trouble finding the motivation to exercise regularly. I’ve been taking Real Dose anyway, for a couple weeks, naturally, with no results. I am eating a little better. You know, I was thinking that if I could do all the things you suggest, I really wouldn’t need the pills. I was hoping maybe they would kickstart me a bit, so I’d feel like working out. Should I hold off taking them until I get myself to exercise regularly? Am I just wasting my money in the meantime?
Hi Michelle – What types of exercise or activity do you enjoy? Walking? Dancing? Hiking? Swimming? I would encourage you to find ways to get daily activity that you’re motivated to do. Also, try just changing one thing at a time. Most of the time when we try to increase our exercise and better our diet it can get overwhelming. Think about what behaviors you know you can do and continue for the long run. Then, form an objective goal like walking 20 minutes everyday for a month or eating your favorite fruit everyday. Once you get habits to stick, then add another.
The RealDose will greatly aid your efforts to lose weight by controlling hunger cravings, increasing energy and boosting fat loss. I think it would really help you to take the product while you’re trying these things. Having a little bit of initial weight loss can motivate you for the next steps ahead! I wish you the best of luck!
Yes! Thank you Dr. Steve for digesting material and giving it to the rest of us in plain English! I am very interested in more information on brain health! Again…thank you for using your talents to improve lives of people you may never meet! I am so grateful I stumbled on your site, watched the video, and started on formula 1 &fish oil. I have only been on it a week, but I now have the energy to do so much more than I was doing before. I am a believer!
Thanks Dr Steve and everyone for all the great information in this blog.
Thanks Dr. Steve. Great Blog.
I spoke to one of your assistants when I notified you I was not losing any weight. Her name was perhaps Amy Miller, and we had a very helpful conversation concerning what I might do to help me ‘start’. She promised to send me smoothi reciipes which I am currently awaiting. I just don’t know how to prepare ‘just’ fruits and veggies’ that would be palatable over a long period of time. Same thing without wheat products. I WANT to learn how, because I am used to all food preparation in our home and would like to learn exactly how it is done, and we be able to adapt to a long term menu within your guide lines.
Hi Darlene – Thanks for writing in. Yes, we have many resources to help you adapt to the plan. Please contact us if you still require more after working with Amy. We would be happy to help in whatever way we can.
I find the research on the brain very interesting and definitely would like to see more. I am a stay at home Mom now and I play Scrabble online almost daily to help keep my brain active. 9 years ago I graduated from law school and after taking the bar 4 times and coming within a few points of passing it I finally became so discouraged that I gave up the fight. I have thought in recent years if I was meant to be a lawyer that I would have passed but perhaps it was not God’s plan for my life. I am a strong Christian so I am serious about the previous statement. However, I never considered that obesity could cause my brain to perhaps not be able to hold as much information as someone else could. i know as a Dr. you can appreciate the volume of knowledge that is expected to be learned and retained. i think my brain had reached a burnout point and for awhile after that it did not seem as if it wanted to take anything new. I have no desire to really ever sit in a classroom again. I changed career paths and sold real estate and ran another business prior to my child being born and this article prompted me to get up and take my Omega 3 which i have been lax in doing lately.
Thanks for the info.
Can you please point me to that study from University of Pittsburgh?
Weird enough, when googling the phrase “research University of Pittsburgh shows being overweight or obese can shrink your brain anywhere from 4-8%.” I only get results showing various sites quoting that sentence after May 16 2012 and none from the University itself or other publications referring to it.
Hi Gabriel – Thank you for your comment. I will have someone email you a copy of this study. It can be a hard one to find.
So if you you loose weight will you regain the brain you have had shrunk?
Hi Sarah – Good question! The brain is constantly going through remodeling of new and old nerve cells, perhaps someone needs to do some research on that.
Hi Doctor Steve,
I live in New Zealand and was reading about tinnutitis and wondered is beet silver beet or beetroot ? We don’t have a vegetable here called beet. Thank you I enjoy reading all your blog.
Lance Kells
Hi Lance – Thanks for your comment. Beets for us is your beetroot (purple mostly and have a big top, seen here: http://www.beetrootrecipes.co.uk/can-you-eat-beetroots-raw/.
Dr. Sisskind,
Thank you for the research based health information and your well researched product.
Before I recommend your product to others please answer a few questions for me:
What is your medical degree in?
Where and for how long did you practice medicine and in what setting?
Thank you,
~D
Hi D – Thank you for writing in. I graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with an M.D. degree in 1991, and did my residency in California. After that, I practiced medicine as a general practioner for five years. I hope that helps give you a good feel for my background!
Please send more information. Find it exciting and very interesting. Thanks.
Hi Carla – Thanks for commenting. I have had one of our specialists send you some more information. Please respond if you have any further questions.
Hi, My newest problem is that my feet hurt. I use to have swollen ankles when I was 17. My brother also had swollen angles. Because my family is from the Island of Rhodes, my brother found out through UCLA, that people from the Mediteraniam Sea, have a gout problem. He was told to take gout pills which had helped. When I was on a macrobiotic diet, I found that my feet didn’t get swollen. But, I try to eat what everybody eats, but it seems not to work. I am 5ft 7in and weigh from 135 to 140. Is that a good weight for me and would you please suggest supplements for my problem? Thank you. Esther Pearlman
Hi Esther – Thanks for writing in. 135-139lbs is said to be a healthy weight range for a female 5’7 . I couldn’t say what the cause of your swelling may be, I hope you’re able to find some relief in the future!
Please continue your blogs on the brain. I am also interested in more info on sleep problems esp.
Difficulty in falling asleep.
Hi, I find this topic interesting as well. I’ve been overweight much of my life and never really knew it was anything more than visually unappealing, but have learned my risks of cancers of all kinds is greater as well as the common knowledge things like greater risk of stroke and heart disease, diabetes, etc. I’m working hard now on my health, eating better and exercising, and my weight is starting to drop…. but I just have to have lingering effects, I’d think. Now to the reason you wrote – brain health — since about 3-4 years ago when our family went thru a series of major traumatic events (stroke, heart attack, cancer, death, juvenile delinquencies….) my mind has not functioned as well. I’ve asked my Dr about it and she said that going thru so much stress can indeed affect my memory, etc, and to give myself maybe up to 18 months to see it improve. Well, I do see improvements, but I am not the same mentally. I can’t remember things, I can’t track as well, and I don’t learn as quickly as I once did. I guess part of this is just aging… I’ll be 52 in February, but I’ve also wondered about my Diet Coke addiction – Aspartame in great quantities for over 20 years!!! and now I don’t use artificial sweeteners of any kind if I can help it…. so maybe my brain situation is a combination of all these things, but now you bring up yet another angle. Interesting and something I’d like to read more about…. also interesting to learn would be how can we improve what we still have left?
I am surprised that we use more of our brain. I thought that 6% was it. We are born imperfect as we inherited sin from Adam and Eve. Sin took away perfection. How does being over weight make the brain smaller? I am not over weight but have been. Not overweight in a large way but overweight.
Thank you,
Mary
Also thank you for Realmeal GF. It sure helps when a person is in a hurry but still wants to keep up with proper nourishment.
Thank you,
Mary
Hi Mary,
It is always a pleasure to hear compliments from our customers about our product. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Real Meal GF.
I received the Realdose capsules and powder. I take a lot of supplements due to hysterectomy and hormonal imbalance I take iodine, aminos, adrenal support, B’s, B12, lyphocolic acid and chelate. Was leary of starting Realdose with all my supplements. Adding more seems like I am taking almost too many suplements! I have been having a hard time losing the weight I need to lose. My body won’t let go very easily. It’s really a struggle…..VT
Hello Nancy,
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Using this product along with a healthy eating plan, like our Fat Loss Fast Program, which comes free with every purchase, will assist you in reaching your weight loss goals. We feel a healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. If you would like an additional assistance with weight loss tips and tricks, please consider our complimentary Healthy Life Program. This program is designed to provide health/weight loss education and support to current customers and includes 12 weeks of group support, facilitated by one of our Healthy Life coaches, a one-on-one goal setting session, a one-week menu plan and much, much more.
If you are interested in having one of our Healthy Life coaches contact you, please email us at support@realdose.com (subject line: Healthy Life Program) or call us at 800-928-5580 and we can get you started. We would love to help you on your weight loss/health journey. Make it a wonderfully healthy day!