Brain News
Researchers at the University of South Australia explored how high-fat diets shrink the brain and impair cognitive functions. The study is published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease.
The Study
The researchers randomly allocated to mice a standard diet or a high-fat diet for 30 weeks. Their food intake, body weight, and glucose levels were monitored at different intervals. Tests for glucose and insulin tolerance and cognitive dysfunction were also taken.
The Findings: Fatty foods shrink the brain
The researchers revealed that the mice consuming high fat diet for a long time gained a lot of weight, developed insulin resistance, and started behaving abnormally.
The study further revealed that a high-fat diet expands the waistline and makes the brain shrink. It also triggers the risk of dementia and other health conditions such as diabetes, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.
One of the lead authors, Professor Bobrovskaya, elaborated: “Our findings underline the importance of addressing the global obesity epidemic. A combination of obesity, age, and diabetes is very likely to lead to a decline in cognitive abilities, Alzheimer’s disease, and other mental health disorders.”
To Know More You May Refer To
Xiong, J., Deng, I., Kelliny, S., Lin, L., Bobrovskaya, L., & Zhou, X. F. (2022). Long term high fat diet induces metabolic disorders and aggravates behavioral disorders and cognitive deficits in MAPT P301L transgenic mice. Metabolic brain disease, 37(6), 1941–1957. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-022-01029-x