Metabolic Disorder Linked To Adolescent Brain Impairments

The increase in childhood obesity in the U.S. has led to an increased occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a precursor of diabetes. A new U.S. study has now uncovered an association between metabolic syndrome and cognitive impairments in adolescents. Researchers compared 49 adolescents with metabolic syndrome to 62 teens without the disorder. They conducted endocrine, MRI and neuropsychological evaluations on the adolescents and found that those classified as having MetS showed significantly lower math and spelling scores, as well as decreased attention span and mental flexibility.