By Ayesha Hana Shaji
Texas Metro News Team
Obesity is a major public health issue that affects millions of people worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity-related conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death in the U.S.
In a recent study done by University of California, Los Angeles Health Sciences researchers, Bhatt et al., published in the journal Brain Communications, found that there are differences in the brain’s networks based on sex, associated with early life adversity, mental health quality and sensory stimulation, which may help tailor obesity interventions.
Using 183 participants, 78 who had a body mass index (BMI) categorized as obese and 105 non-obese BMI participants, the researchers investigated how multimodal MRI and clinical features predict sex-specific brain signatures.
The findings revealed significant clinical implications, suggesting the need for tailored obesity interventions based on sex; including focusing on emotional regulation techniques and vulnerability factors while designing treatments for women with high BMI.
The study also identified brain regions and networks with alterations associated with early life trauma, which appears consistent with previous observations that females with obesity may have greater anxiety, lower resilience, and difficulty integrating emotions with action-directed goal planning.
The authors note that while the study identifies associations, more research is needed to determine cause and effect.
Read more about the study here.
