Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
January 1, 2025Brain CommunicationsOpen Access

Obesity is linked to greater brain age delta vs normal weight, starting at ages 40-60.

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Why the study?

Obesity is thought to accelerate normal ageing and has been linked to neurodegenerative processes, possibly manifesting as accelerated brain ageing.

Does obesity accelerate brain ageing (increase brain age delta) compared to normal-weighted individuals?

Population

Adults aged 18–90 years from the Cam-CAN dataset

Comparison

Obese participants vs matched normal-weighted individuals

Design

Cross-sectional study

Key result

Obesity was associated with a greater brain age delta for grey matter and functional connectivity compared to normal-weight individuals, with the earliest effect evident in the 40-60 age range.

Authors

FVFederico VanniSCSebastiano CinettoMGMichele De Filippo De Grazia

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

Obesity-linked brain ageing differences in mid-life warrant no practice change yet; leaves open causality and intervention effects.

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional

Structured PICO

Does obesity accelerate brain ageing (increase brain age delta) compared to normal-weighted individuals?

P
Population
Adults aged 18-90 years old, including obese and normal-weight individuals matched for age, gender, and education, assessed for brain age delta.
E
Exposure
Obesity (exposure)
C
Comparator
Normal-weighted individuals, tightly matched for age, gender and education
O
Outcome
Brain age delta (discrepancy between brain-based predicted age and chronological age) assessed via multimodal neuroimaging data and machine learningsurrogate

Obesity is associated with accelerated brain ageing as measured by neuroimaging, suggesting that early intervention on obesity may help maintain brain health and reduce late-life neurodegenerative risks.

Cite This Study

Vanni et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Obesity. Obesity vs. Normal-weighted individuals was evaluated on Brain age delta (discrepancy between brain-based predicted age and chronological age). Obesity was associated with a greater brain age delta for grey matter and functional connectivity compared to normal-weight individuals, with the earliest effect evident in the 40-60 age range.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a5c187ae505a3be3956fabahttps://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcaf389
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Obesity associated with increased brain age from midlife2016 · 258 citations
  2. 2Neural correlates of obesity across the lifespan2024 · 24 citations
  3. 3Adipose tissue distribution from body MRI is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal brain age in adults2022 · 56 citations
  4. 4Adipose tissue distribution from body MRI is associated with cross-sectional and longitudinal brain age in adults2021 · 8 citations
  5. 5How is the brain affected by metabolically healthy or unhealthy obesity in adulthood and elderly? A narrative review of neuroimaging and neurocognitive findings2025