Findings published online ahead of the print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine show that researchers at the University of Chicago discovered important new associations between obesity, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive processing among elementary school children.
Study author Karen Spruyt, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Pritzer School of Medicine comments:
"The intricate interdependencies between BMI, SDB and cognition shown in our study are of particular importance in children, as their brains are still rapidly developing. Rising rates of obesity in children may amplify these relationships. Public health campaigns targeting obesity should emphasize not only the health benefits but the potential educational benefits of losing weight."
She explains:
"SDB amplified the risk of adverse cognitive and weight outcomes, while weight amplified the risk of SDB and adverse cognitive outcomes. Impaired cognitive functioning was associated with an increased risk of adverse weight outcomes and SDB, good cognitive abilities may be protective against increased body weight and SDB."
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