A latest research by the University of Cambridge suggested that overweight young adults may have poorer episodic memory - the ability to recall previous events - as compared to their peers. The study has joined the increasing proof of a link between memory and overeating.

In a preliminary study, appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, researchers from Cambridge’s Department of Psychology discovered a link between high body mass index (BMI) and poorer performance on an episodic memory test.

Though it is a small study, its findings have backed existing results that say bodyweight could be linked to changes to the brain’s structure and function and its ability to carry out certain cognitive tasks optimally.

Obesity has been associated with dysfunction of the hippocampus, a part of the brain that plays a role in memory and learning, and of the frontal lobe, the region involved in making decisions, solving issues and emotions. It has suggested that obesity might also affect memory, though proof for memory impairment in obesity is presently limited.

In the UK, nearly 60% adults are overweight or obese, and the number is likely to go up to around 70% by 2034. Obesity raises the chances of suffering from physical health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease, and psychological health problems, like anxiety and depression.

Dr Lucy Cheke said that knowing the rise of obesity in the society, the need of understanding what drives our intake and how we automatically adjust our eating behavior has become more important.

Dr Cheke added, “We know that to some extent hunger and satiety are driven by balance of hormones in bodies and brains, but psychological factors also play important role – we tend to eat more when distracted by television or working, and perhaps to ‘comfort eat’ when are sad”.