How does fast food harm the brain?, a heartbreaking research by scientists
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from the University of Sydney have found that eating fast food harms the brain. According to the study, which was published in the International Journal of Obesity last month in April, we already know the negative effects that consuming large amounts of refined sugar and saturated fat has on our bodies. However, in a first-of-its-kind human study, researchers have discovered that these substances also negatively impact a particular area of our brain. Using a virtual reality (VR) system, researchers discovered that eating a lot of fat and sugar is linked to memory loss and poor “spatial navigation”—the capacity to comprehend one’s location in a space or environment and recall directions. The findings were consistent with earlier studies on mice, the researchers said.
In order to determine how much sugar and dietary fat the 120 young adults in this study had consumed on average over the preceding 12 months, researchers had them complete the Dietary Fat and Sugar (DFS) test. After receiving a virtual reality headset, students were instructed to play a 3D maze game in which they had to grasp hints leading to a treasure box as they made their way through the maze.
The game was played six times, with the winners going to the next try if they managed to find the treasure in less than four minutes. The losers were sent to the virtual treasure location, where they saw clues that led to the next try.
During the seventh and last attempt, the treasure was taken away, and the players had to find the area of the maze they thought had the wealth from the first attempt.
Even after controlling for working memory, body size, and weight, the study discovered that those who had a diet high in fat and sugar performed worse than those who did not.
According to the research, a diet heavy in fat and sugar—the typical Western diet—causes a particular kind of hippocampus damage that affects memory and spatial navigation. Keep in mind that “understanding and remembering the path from one place to another” is the definition of spatial navigation.
Dominic Tran, a researcher at the University of Sydney, expressed worry that a bad diet can affect cognition (brain function) long before other metabolic problems show symptoms, even in quite healthy individuals with normal BMI scores.
Fortunately, the study also shows that researchers think this condition is easily reversible, with dietary adjustments enhancing hippocampal function, they said.
