Singapore study finds extra belly fat in Asians affects their ability to learn and remember
- The Nanyang Technological University study found that Asians with an excess amount of visceral fat tend to have poorer cognitive performance
- The findings raise the possibility that the prevention and control of obesity in Asian populations could play a role in protecting against the future risk of dementia
Asians with an excess amount of visceral fat – the type of fat wrapped around the internal organs – tend to have poorer cognitive performance, according to a recently published study by researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
This affects their ability to think, learn and remember, the university said in a news release on Wednesday, adding that these individuals performed more poorly on tests that evaluated memory, executive function, processing speed and attention.
It analysed the health data of about 8,700 multi-ethnic Singaporeans and permanent residents collected for the Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) study between 2018 and 2021. These individuals were aged between 30 and 84.
When the scientists further investigated the relationship between body fat and cognition, they also found that a higher body mass index (BMI) and BMI-adjusted waist-to-hip ratio were linked to a fall in cognitive performance.
Findings from the study, published in the April edition of The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific medical journal, highlighted the impact that preventing obesity could have on maintaining cognitive function.
Through our Asian population health study, we observed a link between visceral fat and poorer cognitive performance
“With dementia expected to afflict 78 million people in 2030, and 139 million people by 2050, understanding and addressing the determinants of cognitive function is a major public health priority,” said NTU LKCMedicine’s Professor John Chambers, senior author of the study and lead investigator of the HELIOS research.
