ABSTRACT
It is well established that overweight and obese children and adolescents are at increased risk of many physical disorders (such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver) that were once largely confined to adults [1,2]. These are not short-term problems. Rather, it appears that the comorbidities of childhood obesity often extend into adulthood, where they can decrease both the length and the quality of life [3]. Unfortunately, data are accumulating that suggest such challenges to physical health are not the only, and are arguably not even the most serious, consequences of childhood obesity. This chapter summarizes findings that indicate that obesity, and the behaviors that produce it, may also have long-term adverse consequences for the cognitive and brain health of children.
