Link between obesity and lower IQ in children
Posted on March 6, 2007 by Tariq Nelson
For everyone’s information … especially those who think fat is cute:
It is a well-known fact that obesity leads to health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and elevated cholesterol. Recent research suggests that there may be intellectual and cognitive effects as well. Researchers at theUniversity of
Florida have discovered a link between morbid obesity in toddlers and lower IQ scores, cognitive delays and brain lesions similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s disease patients [More...]
Filed under: Children's Issues
May Allah (swt) guide these fat toddlers to the correct way of Islam as understood by the, well dressed & handsome, Great Sheikh of our times: Shiekh ul Islam Sidi Hamzah Yusuf Hanson…
The University of Florida…not UPenn. Not Harvard or Yale.
I’m fat. I’m cute. And I’m working on my PhD. All children are cute–all children need to be introduced to affordable-healthy eating and have equal access to health care so that they can learn about nutrition. Poor districts need to stop having gym class and art class cut which happens all the time. I worked in the Philadelphia school district where we had to teach children gym inside the class room.
This study is bogus. You can link anything if you try to connect the easy dots!
I am not saying this particular study is right or wrong, but the thing is that no matter how much evidence is presented, certain people who believe in the Blank Slate myth will not be convinced. If obesity is bad for the rest of the body, then why is it not plausible for the brain?
This may explain how Tarek Fatah turned out the way he did.
I think I would take this research into consideration with a grain of salt. Maybe perhaps their fat was so much that it was probably blocking their neurological signals for them to think. But wouldn’t that go for all fat people? I’m fat. Maybe it’s my fat that’s clobbering all over my thinking process!!!
DrM… I bet the rest of your top-10 pro-regressives were fat too…
Exex blogger: your cholesterol didn’t end up in the piping to the brain, so you did just fine, mashallah! You are only ‘healthy’ akhi… which brings me to another point:
In our indo-pak culture, fat meant ‘healthy’ (not sure if it still means so)… everyone loved a fat kid, which implied to everyone else that he was well taken care of by his parents. So, it was a matter of pride to have a fat child. Everything was done including ‘over-the-top’ milk (which means breast-feeding was believed to be not sufficient), force-feeding, tons of butter in everything, and minimal exercise (so the fat kid doesn’t get hurt).
There is no doubt now, I think, that excessive fat is not good. And I for one believe, and I have been trying to convince my cultural folks, that butter and other fatty foods are NOT good in everything… that my high-cholesterol (and I am not even 35) is a sign that it was NOT good when it was stuffed into me in childhood.
I know genes have a HUGE role so some people have it REALLY easy in controlling their weight, while others need a mountain of effort. So, I sympathize with them. It is only more important that they be careful with their children in order to give them a ‘healthy’ (REAL healthy not desi fat healthy) start in life.
Here in the State fat is veiwed as bad, so the study could be subjected to the fat phobia.
In other places where food is limited, like say East Africa, being fat is a sign of affluence and power. I have heard people from these regions describing aan dult considered as a beautiful woman or handsome mann, as fat, thick strong and build big.
Hasn’t anyone else noticed the overwhight african Members of Parlaiment, (MPs)? I also noticed the same trend in the middle east? Generally, politicians from these regions are on the heavy side. Perhaps the fat cells in their brains need constant feeding and they hunger for power too.
haha
S
Amad I understand so perfectly where your coming from with the butter/fatty foods in every meal thing. My mum’s family is from Russia and they do the exact same thing. My grandmother must use well over a stick of butter everyday she cooks and she loves to complain that I look anorexic. I’m not by the way
She’s constantly putting food in front of me telling me “eat eat”. It’s good for you 
It really is funny how different countries view being “fat”. Some as S stated view it as a sign of wealth and prestige where as Americans view it as just being “lazy” and bad.
About the actual study I kind of have a hard time believing or understanding what fat has to do with neural activity. Does it block neural impulses or something? I don’t get it. Then again I’m not a doctor. One day InShallah
It’s a good school and has a good reputation with regards to research and its medical program. I actually almost went there.
And about the University of Florida comment… Samira don’t hate UF
400lbs 7 years old,
Watch this 2.38min video (news)
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b18_1172733327
A healthy body is a healthy mind. I think there is some truth in this. Maybe this is why at my work we have to hire about 50% of our eingineers from outside the US, places like India, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
This study needs to be further backed up by more work. Maybe fat kids are just lazier and not willing to work as hard?
“Maybe fat kids are just lazier and not willing to work as hard?” Hmm. I’ve actually never thought of it in that way but maybe you’re on to something. And I can’t believe your company hires 50% of its engineers from overseas. That is incredible!?!! Are there any other reasons for this besides your hypothesis that Americans don’t have healthy bodies and therefore don’t have healthy minds
? Does America not have enough engineers to begin with or do they consider the wages to be too low? Because that is seriously a staggeringly large proportion of foreign workers!!
And I actually do feel a bit bad by just generalizing and saying fat kids are lazier than normal-weight kids. I think if you’re a young child and very overweight a lot of the blame if not the majority of it should be placed on the parents, not just the “lazy” children. It is the parents responsibility to make sure their children eat the right food, are active and not just stuck in front of a TV all day.
Abu Sinan,
do you think they have to because there is not anyone here with the expertise or they do it to save money because Americans would ask for much higher wages.
Gess,
Thank you for posting that link. That story was so shocking and heartbreaking it almost brought me to tears. Unless that girl has a medical condition, there is no reason in the world for that little girl to be so big. Can you post updates to that story?
Thanks!
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This is yet another display of discrimination against over-weight people. When I was growing up, I was on the heavy side, and if this study were true, then why was I 200 llbs making A honor roll in school. And I myself have done some browsing on the internet, and they say that obesity can lead to all types of diseases, but no one has yet to show scientific proof nor really explain exactly how these diseases are triggered. This discrimination against fat people needs to stop! The MAIN cause of this is the fact that we just sit back and mindlessly let everything mold our perception of people! Why can’t we, as Americans just turn off the TV and start using our own brains. I myself remember a time when reading was actually normal.