New research from Sydney University links fat and sugary diets with deteriorated brain function. The findings are based on a growing body of evidence that shows the negative impact of high and high sugar (HFHs) diets on cognitive capacity, which adds to its well -known physical effects.
Posted on Friday at International Obesity MagazineResearch is the first to test in humans the relationship between HFHS diets, particularly those high in refined sugar and saturated fats, and first -person space navigation. Space navigation is the ability to learn and remember a path from one place to another, a process that can approximate the health of the brain hippocampus.
Dr. Dominic Tran of the Faculty of Psychology of the Faculty of Sciences directed research, which found that HFHS diets have a detrimental effect on some aspects of cognitive function. It is likely that these effects will focus on the hippocampus, the important brain structure for space navigation and memory formation, instead of acting throughout the brain.
“The good news is that we believe that this is an easily reversible situation,” said Dr. Tran. “Changes in diet can improve the health of the hippocampus and, therefore, our ability to navigate in our environment, such as when we are exploring a new city or learning a new route home.”
The research team recruited 55 university students between 18 and 38. Each participant completed questionnaires who captured their intake of sugary and fatty foods. They also caused their working memory to be tested in a numbers recovery exercise, and their body mass index (BMI) registered.
The experiment itself required that the participants sail for a virtual reality maze and locate a treasure chest six times. The labyrinth was surrounded by reference points that participants could use to remember their route. Its starting point and the location of the treasure chest remained constant in each test.
If the participants found the treasure in less than four minutes, they continued until the next test. If they did not find the treasure at this time, they were teleported to their location and were given 10 seconds to familiarize themselves with that location before the next test.
A seventh test eliminated the virtual labyrinth treasure chest, but asked the participants to find and mark their previous location based exclusively on memory. Those with lower levels of fat and sugar in their diets were able to identify the location with a greater degree of precision than those that consumed these foods several times a week.
“After controlling the working memory and the BMI, measured separately to the experiment, the sugar and fat intake of the participants was a reliable predictor of performance in that final, seventh test,” said Dr. Tran.
Dr. Tran said that the results highlight the importance of making good dietary decisions to maintain a healthy brain function.
“We have known that eating too much refined sugar and saturated fats brings the risk of obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer. We also know that these non -healthy eating habits accelerate the beginning of the cognitive decrease related to age in the Middle Ages and older adults.
“This research gives us evidence that diet is important for brain health in early adulthood, a period in which cognitive function is generally intact,” said Dr. Tran.
Dr. Tran said that the sample group used in this research was not representative of the broader population, but the findings are still more widely applied.
“Our participants is likely to be a little healthier than the general population and we believe that, if our sample represented the public better, the impact of the spatial navigation diet would probably be even more pronounced.”
Dr. Tran received an Early Career career investigation award from the Australian Research Council (Decra).