As everyone starts writing down their New Year's resolutions, dieting is once again at the top of the list. Yet, even though belly fat is constantly demonized and stigmatized by societal pressures, it plays a role in brain health. Besides being a comfortable cushion for your partner and providing excellent protection for your organs, your soft, round belly actually protects your brain.<\/p>\n
As the new year dawns, it's time for reflection and making wise promises. You solemnly swear to exercise more, read more books, join a charity, and tackle all the challenges on your teenage to-do list (the ones you keep putting off). Like 20% of people, you might want to lose two or three jeans sizes and conform to the standards. Yet, that belly fat, which causes you so much distress in front of the mirror<\/a> and which the media condemns in passing, can actually be useful and beneficial to your brain.<\/p>\n Besides acting as a living bulletproof vest and allowing for more cuddles, your belly fat contains a precious ingredient. Researchers at Toho University in Japan have been studying a key protein for our intelligence: BDNF. Behind this somewhat intimidating name lies a true conductor of the brain. BDNF helps brain cells develop, survive, and communicate effectively with each other. It is essential for memory, learning, and even mood regulation. The problem is that BDNF levels naturally decline with age. The result: less sharp memory, more difficulty concentrating, and sometimes increased emotional vulnerability.<\/p>\n This is where the surprise comes in. The study shows that visceral fat produces a protein called CX3CL1. This molecule plays a direct role in maintaining healthy BDNF levels. In other words, a certain amount of abdominal fat helps the brain function properly.<\/p>\n In young mice, this fat produced high levels of CX3CL1, which supported excellent cognitive function. In older mice, this production decreased sharply, mirroring what is observed in humans with brain aging. Even more surprisingly, when researchers artificially increased this protein in older mice, their BDNF levels improved.<\/p>\n In addition to reinforcing your self-image, this study challenges long-held beliefs about curvy bodies. In the collective imagination, belly<\/a> fat is inevitably associated with cholesterol, heart problems, and other health issues. For many, it's an indicator of neglect, the visible proof of declining health. And this study, while acknowledging the negative aspects of excess fat, also highlights its benefits.<\/p>\n The idea is not to promote obesity, but simply to see beyond appearances and better understand how the body works. It's all about balance, not extreme control or total abandonment of dietary habits.<\/p>\n This study reminds us that the body is not simply an aesthetic object, but an intelligent, complex, and adaptive system. Fat is not a moral failing, a personal failure, or even an aesthetic aberration. It fulfills specific, sometimes vital, biological functions.<\/p>\n This discovery encourages us to make peace with our bellies, often a source of insecurity<\/a> , and to better appreciate the epicurean moments of winter. These few square centimeters of fat, which the fashion industry stigmatizes at every show and which the media tries to banish from January 1st onwards, are not "too much." They fulfill an invisible but very real purpose. It's not about glorifying excess, but about understanding that health isn't measured solely by waist size. From the moment the body<\/p>\n In short, your intelligence isn't measured by the scales. And sometimes, that little belly you're eyeing so harshly is working silently... for your brain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As everyone starts writing down their New Year's resolutions, dieting is once again at the top of the...","protected":false},"author":8340,"featured_media":430898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bodypositive"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Graisse-du-ventre-bienfaits-cerveau-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Graisse-du-ventre-bienfaits-cerveau-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Graisse-du-ventre-bienfaits-cerveau.jpg","author":{"name":"\u00c9milie Laurent","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/cropped-2f5d8c00d5d5c27f8ce4d9b3f9015467-96x96.png"},"categories":[{"term_id":6140,"name":"Body positive","slug":"bodypositive","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6312,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Body positive section of The Body Optimist celebrates every body: plus-size or slim, young or older, disabled, marked by stretch marks, scars or illness. Portraits, personal stories and explainers question beauty standards to help you feel more at peace with your appearance, with no pressure to lose weight or to love yourself no matter what.<\/p>\n Body positivity is a movement built on the idea that every body deserves respect and representation, regardless of size, skin color, age, gender or disability. Its roots lie in the fat acceptance movement, which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s to fight weight discrimination. The term later took off on social media, at the risk of being co-opted by brands and refocused on bodies close to the norm. Going back to its activist origins is a reminder that it\u2019s not only about \u201cloving yourself\u201d but also about fighting fatphobia.<\/p>\n Body neutrality takes appearance out of the spotlight: instead of striving to love your body, you respect it for what it lets you do, such as walking, dancing or resting. It suits people for whom the pressure to \u201clove yourself\u201d adds stress, or whose relationship with their body has been shaped by illness or an eating disorder. The two approaches aren\u2019t opposites. On tough days, a few habits help: unfollow accounts that make you feel guilty, wear clothes that fit the body you have today, and thank your body for something it did rather than judging how it looks. Here\u2019s why body neutrality appeals to more and more women<\/a>.<\/p>\n Accepting all bodies has been at the heart of our editorial line since our beginnings in plus-size fashion. We show bodies that are rarely seen without reducing them to a \u201cbefore and after\u201d or a heroic feat, and we reject any message that equates health with thinness. Our portraits let people speak for themselves, and never describe anyone as a \u201cflaw to fix.\u201d<\/p>\n No. The movement challenges the idea that thinness proves good health and that fat people deserve less respect or care. It calls for health care free of weight stigma and aligns with the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach, which focuses on habits rather than the number on the scale.<\/p>\n No. Self-acceptance doesn\u2019t demand constant love: it means every body, including yours, deserves respect, even on days when you don\u2019t like it much. Body neutrality offers a gentler path for those days, focused on what your body does rather than how it looks.<\/p>\n \u201cBopo\u201d is short for body positive or body positivity. It\u2019s widely used on social media, especially as a hashtag, to share unretouched photos and messages of self-acceptance. By extension, it also refers to the content and creators who champion body diversity.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: all our psychology topics<\/a>, family life in Parenting<\/a>, and body diversity on the runway in Inclusive modeling<\/a>.<\/p>","parent":6138,"count":680,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":6140,"category_count":680,"category_description":" The Body positive section of The Body Optimist celebrates every body: plus-size or slim, young or older, disabled, marked by stretch marks, scars or illness. Portraits, personal stories and explainers question beauty standards to help you feel more at peace with your appearance, with no pressure to lose weight or to love yourself no matter what.<\/p>\n Body positivity is a movement built on the idea that every body deserves respect and representation, regardless of size, skin color, age, gender or disability. Its roots lie in the fat acceptance movement, which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s to fight weight discrimination. The term later took off on social media, at the risk of being co-opted by brands and refocused on bodies close to the norm. Going back to its activist origins is a reminder that it\u2019s not only about \u201cloving yourself\u201d but also about fighting fatphobia.<\/p>\n Body neutrality takes appearance out of the spotlight: instead of striving to love your body, you respect it for what it lets you do, such as walking, dancing or resting. It suits people for whom the pressure to \u201clove yourself\u201d adds stress, or whose relationship with their body has been shaped by illness or an eating disorder. The two approaches aren\u2019t opposites. On tough days, a few habits help: unfollow accounts that make you feel guilty, wear clothes that fit the body you have today, and thank your body for something it did rather than judging how it looks. Here\u2019s why body neutrality appeals to more and more women<\/a>.<\/p>\n Accepting all bodies has been at the heart of our editorial line since our beginnings in plus-size fashion. We show bodies that are rarely seen without reducing them to a \u201cbefore and after\u201d or a heroic feat, and we reject any message that equates health with thinness. Our portraits let people speak for themselves, and never describe anyone as a \u201cflaw to fix.\u201d<\/p>\n No. The movement challenges the idea that thinness proves good health and that fat people deserve less respect or care. It calls for health care free of weight stigma and aligns with the Health at Every Size (HAES) approach, which focuses on habits rather than the number on the scale.<\/p>\n No. Self-acceptance doesn\u2019t demand constant love: it means every body, including yours, deserves respect, even on days when you don\u2019t like it much. Body neutrality offers a gentler path for those days, focused on what your body does rather than how it looks.<\/p>\n \u201cBopo\u201d is short for body positive or body positivity. It\u2019s widely used on social media, especially as a hashtag, to share unretouched photos and messages of self-acceptance. By extension, it also refers to the content and creators who champion body diversity.<\/p>\n Keep exploring: all our psychology topics<\/a>, family life in Parenting<\/a>, and body diversity on the runway in Inclusive modeling<\/a>.<\/p>","cat_name":"Body positive","category_nicename":"bodypositive","category_parent":6138}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8340"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430895"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":430900,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430895\/revisions\/430900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} When visceral fat becomes protective<\/h2>\n
Why \u201cthinner\u201d doesn\u2019t mean \u201csmarter\u201d<\/h2>\n
A body-positive\u2026 and scientific message<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Body positive section<\/h2>\n
\n
What is body positivity and where does it come from?<\/h2>\n
Body positivity vs. body neutrality: what\u2019s the difference?<\/h2>\n
Our commitment<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Does accepting your body mean neglecting your health?<\/h3>\n
Do you have to love your body every day?<\/h3>\n
What does \u201cbopo\u201d mean?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Body positive section<\/h2>\n
\n
What is body positivity and where does it come from?<\/h2>\n
Body positivity vs. body neutrality: what\u2019s the difference?<\/h2>\n
Our commitment<\/h2>\n
Where to start<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
Does accepting your body mean neglecting your health?<\/h3>\n
Do you have to love your body every day?<\/h3>\n
What does \u201cbopo\u201d mean?<\/h3>\n