SentinelSource.com |Body shape affects memory in women

The more an older woman weighs, the worse her memory, according to research released this week from Northwestern Medicine at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

The effect is more pronounced in women who carry excess weight around their hips, known as pear shapes, than women who carry it around their waists, called apple shapes.

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.

Scientists know that different kinds of fat release different cytokines — the hormones that can cause inflammation and affect cognition.

The study published in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Geriatric Society said, on average, there is a one point drop in the memory score for every one point increase in body-mass index or BMI — a ratio of a person’s height and weight. The study included 8,745 cognitively normal, post-menopausal women ages 65 to 79.