Want to improve your memory? Get rid of those extra kilos!

Cambridge researchers have linked obesity to poorer memory and brain functioning.

Losing weight will not only make you look and feel great about yourself, but it can also boost your brain functioning and improve your memory! Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that being overweight or obese is directly linked to a poorer memory. You could increase your memory and boost your brain power with these 6 yoga poses.

As compared to their slimmer counterparts, overweight young adults have poorer episodic memroy and ability to recall past events. Those with a high body mass index (BMI) also performed poorly on a test of episodic memory.

This study, though a small one, supports other existing finding that excess bodyweight could be associated with changes to the structure and functioning of the brain along with its ability to perform certain cognitive tasks optimally.

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The Cambridge researchers linked obesity with dysfunction of the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is involved in memory and learning, and of the frontal lobe, the part of the brain which is involved in decision making, problem solving and emotions, suggesting that it might also affect memory; however, evidence for memory impairment in obese individuals is still limited.

Researcher Lucy Cheke says, Understanding what drives our consumption and how we instinctively regulate our eating behaviour is becoming increasingly important given the rise of obesity in society. The study was recently published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

Co-author Jon Simons added that by recognising and addressing these psychological factors head-on, not only can we come to understand obesity better, but we may enable the creation of interventions that can make a real difference to health and wellbeing. These 5 good habits could help in boosting your memory.