Eat a healthy diet and banish a big belly to protect your mind
News briefs
- Reviewed by Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Eating a healthy diet and keeping your belly trim in middle age are tied to better thinking skills later in life, according to an analysis published in the March 2025 issue of JAMA Network Open. Scientists used data on diet and belly fat (measured using waist-to-hip ratio) from nearly 700 people who participated in a British study that ran from 1985 to 2016. On average, participants were in their late 40s when they entered the study, and they underwent brain scans and cognition tests at around age 70. Compared with people who ate the worst diets and had the most belly fat over the duration of the study, those with the healthiest diets and trimmest bellies had better connections among brain areas needed for memory and function. In addition, people with trimmer waistlines in their 50s and 60s had better skills in memory, decision making, and word finding at age 70. The study was observational and can’t prove that a big belly or a poor diet caused cognitive decline later in life. However, many studies have made similar connections. The takeaway: it’s not too late to improve your diet and lose some of the extra weight around your middle, and the sooner you start, the better.
Image: © Eva-Katalin/Getty Images
About the Author
Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
About the Reviewer
Anthony L. Komaroff, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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