A recent scientific study, published in the scientific journal "Jama Open Network", concluded that maintaining a proper weight and avoiding fat accumulation in the abdominal area can play an important role in protecting brain functions and maintaining mental abilities with age.

* Fat affects cognitive performance.

The study was conducted by a joint research team from the German universities of Leipzig, the British Oxford, and the French Montesse, where it relied on the analysis of data of two groups of adults.

The first group included more than 500 middle -aged people, and their food patterns and their lifestyle were tracked over thirty years, while the second group included about 660 people who underwent the MRI and tests to measure mental abilities when they reach the age of seventy.

* middle years
The results showed that adhering to a healthy diet during the middle of life can contribute to improving brain functions and maintaining the integrity of the hippocampus, which is the area responsible for the formation of memories, in addition to enhancing the health of the white matter in the brain, which plays a major role in learning, focus and problem solving.

The study also revealed that the increase in fat in the abdominal area is linked to a decrease in memory and poor cognitive functions in the elderly.

In statements reported by the Health Day website, the researchers confirmed that the age between 48 and 70 years is the best to adhere to a balanced diet and reduce visceral fats- which are accumulated fat in the abdominal cavity, and surrounded by internal organs- because of its positive impact on mental performance and reducing the risk of cognitive deterioration in advanced stages of life.