BEING overweight could kill of brain cells, according to a new study.
Researchers have found obesity and Alzheimer's disease both destroy the outer layer of the brain in the same way.
Canadian scientists now claim losing weight could slow cognitive decline and lower the risk of the brain eating disease.
Obesity has been previously linked with Alzheimer's disease, but this is the first time a direct comparison has been made between brain breakdown patterns in Alzheimer's and obesity.
Brain scans of over 1,300 people with both diseases revealed similar brain thinning in regions responsible for learning, memory and judgment.
18 expert hacks to help you lose a STONE in just one month
Like Alzheimer's, obesity has already been associated with damage to the blood vessels in the brain, and accumulation of proteins, which leads to the breakdown of the brain.
But this new research takes it one step further.
The researchers from Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, suspect people who shed the pounds "decrease the subsequent risk of neurodegeneration and dementia".
Obesity - which affects one in four Brits - is already considered by health experts to be multisystem disease.
Being overweight increases your risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol and several cancers.
This new study, published Journal of Alzheimer's Disease confirms it's potentially deadly impact on the brain.