A hypothesis linking the energy demand of the brain to obesity risk

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Abstract
Significance: We propose that variation in brain energy expenditure during childhood is an unexplored but important influence on obesity risk. This hypothesis is supported by evidence that the energy required by the developing brain decreases in later childhood as the rate of body weight gain is increasing. The hypothesis is further supported by findings of genetic and brain imaging research indicating a trade-off between the body mass index (BMI) and the volume of cortical and subcortical structures, and inverse associations between BMI and energetically costly executive cognitive functions. Efforts to quantify variability in brain energy use across children could inspire new educational strategies that increase brain energy demands and thereby reduce obesity risk.
Funding Information
  • HHS | NIH | NIH Office of the Director (1UH3OD023332)
  • HHS | NIH | Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD081252)

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