Abstract
BACKGROUND: Increased body mass index (BMI) is a major health concern worldwide. BMI is an indicator of adiposity. Adiposity has been linked to various health complications, including cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and cognitive dysfunction in adults. Sensory motor performance of an individual is seen to be affected by adiposity. Sensory motor processing is the duration between presentation of a stimulus till response by an individual. Reaction time is an important tool to measure sensory motor response. The impact of increased adiposity level on cognitive function remains less clear. Hence, in the present study, the relationship between adiposity and sensorimotor performance among healthy adults was assessed. METHODOLOGY: Anthropometric measurement parameters, including height, weight, and BMI, were measured in 300 participants aged 20-50 years. The participants were divided into three groups, i.e., normal, overweight, and obese. Sensory-motor performance of the subjects was assessed using a reaction time apparatus (MEDICAID-RTM 608, Medicaid Systems, India). RESULTS: Data analysis and results revealed a significant positive correlation between adiposity measures and slower reaction time in obese individuals as compared to the subjects with normal BMI, indicating that increased adiposity is associated with cognitive decline. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that excess body fat may negatively affect cognitive function, possibly due to altered neural processing speed. Further research is needed to explore varying mechanisms and potential interventions.