Researchers have always noted that obesity is part nurture and part nature. This week, however, New York researchers determined that one's brain size may affect obesity.
A region of the brain that controls impulse levels was found to be smaller in teens who were obese than in those who were thin or of normal weight, the study suggests. This implies that some children may be predisposed to gain more weight than others. Although, it's also possible that obesity could have an impact on brain size, the result of which determines whether a person will binge.
"It's not as simple as kids who have weight problems simply don't have enough willpower to actually lose weight," Dr. Antonio Convit told MyHealthNewsDaily. "It could be that their brains are either wired differently or damaged in a particular way that leads them to gain weight from overeating."
Researchers quizzed 91 teenagers about their eating habits in questionnaires. Fifty-four of the participants were obese, with a median weight of 300 pounds and a BMI of 39, and 37 of them were of normal weight. The adolescents also completed several cognitive tests measuring the level of function and activity in the brain's frontal lobe, which affects impulses, planning and the ability to self-monitor. Using MRIs, Convit and his colleagues took brain scans of the teenagers.
The extremely overweight teens were more impulsive in their eating behaviors, and a section of their frontal lobe was smaller. The obese participants also performed more poorly on the cognitive tests, according to MyHealthNewsDaily.