HHS HealthBeat (June 2, 2011)

Losing weight, remembering more

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

How much you weigh and how well you remember may be connected. At Kent State University in Ohio, John Gunstad saw it in data on people who underwent bariatric surgery to reduce the size of their stomachs.

The researchers found memory and concentration had improved 12 weeks after surgery, possibly because obesity-related problems such as high blood pressure improved.

Gunstad says, though, that obese people might not need surgery to gain such benefits:

``If they’re looking for that last little bit of motivation to kind of push them over the top to start a weight loss program – to start exercising or eating better – maybe the thought of `Well, maybe my memory can be a little bit better’ can be encouraging.’’ (10 seconds)

The study in the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: June 1, 2011