Do you consume fatty, sugary foods? It may impair brain function, finds study

In a significant study researchers have linked fatty and sugary diets to impaired cognitive functionThe team from University of Sydney looked at the relationship between highfat highsugar HFHS diets particularly those high in refined sugar and saturated fat and firstperson spatial navigationSpatial navigation is the ability to learn and remember a path from one location to another a process that can approximate the health of the brainrsquos hippocampus said the study published in the International Journal of ObesityDr Dominic Tran from the Faculty of Sciencersquos School of Psychology led the research which found HFHS diets have a detrimental effect on some aspects of cognitive functionIt is likely those effects centre on the hippocampus the brain structure important for spatial navigation and memory formation rather than acting across the entire brainldquoThe good news is we think this is an easily reversible situationrdquo Dr Tran said ldquoDietary changes can improve the health of the hippocampus and therefore our ability to navigate our environment such as when wersquore exploring a new city or learning a new route homerdquoThe research team recruited 55 university students aged between 18 and 38Each participant completed questionnaires capturing their intake of sugary and fatty foods They also had their working memory tested in a number recall exercise and their body mass index BMI recordedThe experiment itself required participants to navigate a virtual reality maze and locate a treasure chest six times The maze was surrounded by landmarks that participants could use to remember their route Their starting point and the location of the treasure chest remained constant in each trialIf participants found the treasure in less than four minutes they continued to the next trial If they failed to find the treasure in this time they were teleported to its location and given 10 seconds to familiarise themselves with that location before the next trialThose with lower levels of fat and sugar in their diets were able to pinpoint the location with a higher degree of accuracy than those who consumed these foods multiple times a weekldquoAfter controlling for working memory and BMI measured separately to the experiment participantsrsquo sugar and fat intake was a reliable predictor of performance in that final seventh testrdquo Dr Tran saidDr Tran said the results highlight the importance of making good dietary choices to maintain healthy brain functionWersquove long known eating too much refined sugar and saturated fat brings the risk of obesity metabolic and cardiovascular disease and certain cancers We also know these unhealthy eating habits hasten the onset of agerelated cognitive decline in middle age and older adultsldquoThis research gives us evidence that diet is important for brain health in early adulthood a period when cognitive function is usually intactrdquo Dr Tran saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params