Raj Nikhil, Kadavigere Rajagopal, Chandrasekaran Baskaran, Vaishali K, Nayak Shailesh, Ravichandran Sneha, Shettigar Dilip, Muthu Sathya Sabina, Biji Cyril, Paramashiva Poovitha Shruthi, Sukumar Suresh
Department of Medical Imaging Technology, Manipal College of Health Professions, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Department of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
J Educ Health Promot. 2025 Jul 31;14:297. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1396_24. eCollection 2025.
The relationship between obesity and brain structure remains unclear, particularly in sedentary individuals. This study aimed to compare structural brain volumes among sedentary normal weight, overweight, and obese adults.
In this cross-sectional study, 102 sedentary adults (34 normal weight, 34 overweight, 34 obese) underwent brain MRI scans. Grey matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, and regional brain volumes were measured. Correlations between BMI, physical activity levels, and brain volumes were analyzed within each weight group.
No significant differences in overall or regional brain volumes were found between groups. In the normal weight group, BMI positively correlated with right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) volume ( = 0.358, < 0.05) and grey matter volume ( = 0.367, < 0.05). In the obese group, BMI negatively correlated with rSTG volume ( = -0.467, < 0.01) and positively correlated with self-reported physical activity ( = 0.395, < 0.05). No significant correlations were observed in the overweight group.
This study reveals a complex, non-linear relationship between BMI and brain structure in sedentary adults. The contrasting correlations in normal weight and obese groups suggest potential BMI-related structural changes, particularly in the rSTG. These findings highlight the need for further research on the neurological impacts of obesity in sedentary populations.
肥胖与脑结构之间的关系仍不明确，尤其是在久坐不动的个体中。本研究旨在比较久坐不动的正常体重、超重和肥胖成年人的脑结构体积。
在这项横断面研究中，102名久坐不动的成年人（34名正常体重、34名超重、34名肥胖）接受了脑部MRI扫描。测量了灰质、白质、脑脊液和局部脑体积。在每个体重组内分析了体重指数（BMI）、身体活动水平和脑体积之间的相关性。
各组之间在整体或局部脑体积上未发现显著差异。在正常体重组中，BMI与右侧颞上回（rSTG）体积呈正相关（r = 0.358，P < 0.05），与灰质体积呈正相关（r = 0.367，P < 0.05）。在肥胖组中，BMI与rSTG体积呈负相关（r = -0.467，P < 0.01），与自我报告的身体活动呈正相关（r = 0.395，P < 0.05）。在超重组中未观察到显著相关性。
本研究揭示了久坐不动的成年人中BMI与脑结构之间复杂的非线性关系。正常体重组和肥胖组中对比鲜明的相关性表明存在潜在的与BMI相关的结构变化，尤其是在rSTG。这些发现凸显了进一步研究肥胖对久坐人群神经学影响的必要性。
