Body mass index and the distribution of fat were both associated with cognitive function in a large study of postmenopausal women, researchers said.
In women with a low waist-to-hip ratio -- denoting a "pear-shaped" body -- increasing BMI correlated significantly with poorer cognitive performance, according to Diana R. Kerwin, MD, of Northwestern University in Chicago, and colleagues.
Meanwhile, the "apple shape" with fat concentrated at the waist made higher BMI predictive of relatively better cognition, the researchers found.
The mechanism is unclear, Kerwin and colleagues said in their report online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,but the association suggests the relationship between body fat and brain function is more complicated than earlier studies had suggested.
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