Figure 1.

Association of obesity and longstanding cognitive deficit from childhood, Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, 1972–2012. A) Change in intelligence quotient (IQ) from childhood to adulthood in Dunedin cohort members who remained lean (n = 644; gray dots) and cohort members who became obese during follow-up between 11 and 38 years of age (n = 269; black dots). B) The same data, excluding cases in whom the onset of obesity occurred by 11 years of age (gray dots, lean group; black dots, the group who first became obese after 11 years of age; n = 187). C) IQ change from childhood to adulthood in the lean (gray dots) and obese (black dots) groups with adjustment for early growth factors that predispose persons to obesity (measured by weight at birth, weight gain between birth and 3 years of age, and age and body mass index at adiposity rebound). D) IQ change in 3 groups: those who remained lean (gray dots); those who became obese but who did not manifest the metabolic syndrome or elevated systemic inflammation (n = 94; black dots); and those who developed severe obesity with metabolic syndrome or elevated systemic inflammation (n = 170; black diamonds). Data in D exclude 5 obese cases for whom the metabolic syndrome and systemic inflammation could not be evaluated because of missing phlebotomy procedures.