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Original article
Published online: 2024-12-05
Body fat, cognitive performance and inflammatory cytokines in healthy, young women
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Abstract
Purpose: There is growing evidence indicating that overweight and obesity have negative impact on central nervous system. It was also demonstrated that excessive body fat coincides with lower levels of cognitive functions. The potential mechanism by which the excessive adipose tissue can negatively influence cognitive performance is unclear. However, it is generally accepted that the negative impact of body fat on cognitive function may be mediated by inflammatory cytokines. In the current study we examine the impact of body fat on cognitive performance in young, healthy people. We also attempt to determine the potential mechanism of such an impact. Materials/methods: 38 women, age 21,65 ± 1,45 took part in this study. In order to evaluate the cognitive performance in our subjects we used standard cognitive tests: the Face/name Association Test, Stroop Test, and Trail Making Test. The level of fat tissue was determined by body composition analyser (Tanita, type BC-418MA). The levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined in serum using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (LDN GmbH & Co., Nordhorn, Germany). Results: We observed a statistically significant relationship between the percentage of body fat tissue and level of TNF- as well as waist-hip ratio and IL-6. We demonstrated a negative correlation between the level of IL-6 and cognitive performance. We did not observe a statistically significant correlation between the level of TNF- and the results of cognitive tests. Conclusion: Our study confirms that an increase in body fat content leads to a decreasing level of cognitive performance. We have also demonstrated a negative correlation between the level of IL-6 and the results of cognitive tests in young people.
Keywords: fat tissuecognitive functionyoung peopleInterleukin-6TNF-alfainflammation
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