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The Kerwin team found that for an increase of one (1) point of Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a ratio involving weight and height, the memory score of those participating women decreased by one (1) point.
A BMI score of 18.5 indicates 'underweight', a score of 19.0 to 24.9 shows 'normal weight', a score of 25.0 to 29.9 indicates 'overweight' and a score of 30 or higher shows 'obesity.'
Dr. Kerwin stated in the Northwestern press release, "The message is obesity and a higher Body Mass Index are not good for your cognition and your memory. While the women's scores were still in the normal range, the added weight definitely had a detrimental effect."
The reason pear-shaped women experienced more memory and brain function deterioration than apple-shaped women is likely related to the type of fat deposited around the hips versus the waist.
Kerwin added, "Obesity is bad, but its effects are worse depending on where the fat is located.'
Page three concludes with more comments from Dr. Kerwin.
