OBESE KIDS RISK BRAIN DAMAGE BY OVEREATING!
OBESE children are injuring their brains by overeating, according to a shocking new study — and the resulting damage can cause them to crave even more food!
Those are the findings of researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil who analyzed scans of 120 kids aged 12 to 16 and found those who were overweight showed signs of visible destruction in critical parts of their noggins.
The tests found scale-straining teens appeared to have damage in areas that regulate both appetite and emotions, thus adding to their hunger.
Alarmingly, MRI scans also revealed cells were impaired in parts of the organ responsible for thinking and reasoning — meaning kids’ eating habits could negatively affect their attention spans and performance in school.
Additional tests discovered the obese children also produced an excessive amount of leptin — the hormone that controls appetite and signals the body to take in more nourishment.
Scientists believe constant eating affects levels of leptin and the sugar-regulating hormone insulin, and in turn sparks an inflammatory reaction that destroys healthy brain tissue. But their research did not yield proof the damage was permanent.
Adds study co-author Dr. Pamela Bertolazzi: “In the future, we would like to repeat brain MRI in these adolescents after multi-professional treatment for weight loss to assess if the brain changes are reversible or not.”
Doctors unsure if impairment can be reversed