Obese People Have 'Severe Brain Degeneration'
By LiveScience Staff
posted: 25 August 2009 09:59 am ET
A new study finds obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than normal-weight individuals. Their brains look 16 years older than the brains of lean individuals, researchers said today.
Those classified as overweight have 4 percent less brain tissue and their brains appear to have aged prematurely by 8 years.
The results, based on brain scans of 94 people in their 70s, represent "severe brain degeneration," said Paul Thompson, senior author of the study and a UCLA professor of neurology.
"That's a big loss of tissue and it depletes your cognitive reserves, putting you at much greater risk of Alzheimer's and other diseases that attack the brain," said Thompson. "But you can greatly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's, if you can eat healthily and keep your weight under control."
The findings are detailed in the online edition of the journal Human Brain Mapping.
Obesity packs many negative health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and some cancers. It's also been shown to reduce sexual activity.
More than 300 million worldwide are now classified as obese, according to the World Health Organization. Another billion are overweight. The main cause, experts say: bad diet, including an increased reliance on highly processed foods.
Obese people had lost brain tissue in the frontal and temporal lobes, areas of the brain critical for planning and memory, and in the anterior cingulate gyrus (attention and executive functions), hippocampus (long-term memory) and basal ganglia (movement), the researchers said in a statement today. Overweight people showed brain loss in the basal ganglia, the corona radiata, white matter comprised of axons, and the parietal lobe (sensory lobe).
"The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of those who were lean, and in overweight people looked 8 years older," Thompson said.
Obesity is measured by body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters. A BMI over 25 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 as obese.
The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Center for Research Resources, and the American Heart Association.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Building on former Ballard Manning's/Denny's site approved
A mixed-use building planned for the Ballard site of the quirky former Manning's Cafeteria and Denny's restaurant has won city approval.
The Department of Planning and Development on Monday granted design and environmental review for the eight-story building at the northwest corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. The building would put 287 residential units above 32,734 square feet of ground-floor retail space, with 446 parking spaces at street level and underground. It would be five stories at the corner and eight further in.
According to the city's report:
The design for the building is slightly contemporary, with a traditionally urban feel. The building includes a strong base, with more vertical expression in the bays. Proposed materials would include pre-cast concrete materials and older "used" looking brick at the base, to add emphasis and interest at the pedestrian level. In the upper levels, wood-resin panels and stucco-like materials would be used. Residential decks would be steel-framed with concrete. At the corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street, the building will include a tower element incorporating glass panels.
The Seattle Landmark Preservation Board ruled last year that the Googie-architecture restaurant building was a landmark, but later decided there was no financially feasible way to keep the building and cleared the way for demolition.
The owner, BCC Mikie Ballard LLC, has a deal to sell the site to developer Rhapsody Partners. Freiheit & Ho Architects designed the plan. Here's the full (107 MB) design report.
People can appeal Monday's decision to the Hearing Examiner's Office through Aug. 24.
The Department of Planning and Development on Monday granted design and environmental review for the eight-story building at the northwest corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. The building would put 287 residential units above 32,734 square feet of ground-floor retail space, with 446 parking spaces at street level and underground. It would be five stories at the corner and eight further in.
According to the city's report:
The design for the building is slightly contemporary, with a traditionally urban feel. The building includes a strong base, with more vertical expression in the bays. Proposed materials would include pre-cast concrete materials and older "used" looking brick at the base, to add emphasis and interest at the pedestrian level. In the upper levels, wood-resin panels and stucco-like materials would be used. Residential decks would be steel-framed with concrete. At the corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street, the building will include a tower element incorporating glass panels.
The Seattle Landmark Preservation Board ruled last year that the Googie-architecture restaurant building was a landmark, but later decided there was no financially feasible way to keep the building and cleared the way for demolition.
The owner, BCC Mikie Ballard LLC, has a deal to sell the site to developer Rhapsody Partners. Freiheit & Ho Architects designed the plan. Here's the full (107 MB) design report.
People can appeal Monday's decision to the Hearing Examiner's Office through Aug. 24.
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