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Eating lots of junk food for just one WEEK can damage your memory permanently

  • Australian researchers found that even a
    short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the
    brain’s cognitive ability
  • Scientists from the University of New
    South Wales showed for the first time that rats fed a diet high in fat
    and sugar had impaired memory after a week
  • The study suggests obesity causes rapid changes in the brain and the damage of an unhealthy diet is not reversed

By
Sarah Griffiths


PUBLISHED:

11:22 EST, 17 December 2013

|
UPDATED:

14:53 EST, 17 December 2013

Even a short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s cognitive ability, scientists said

Everyone knows that junk food is bad for the waistline, but new research suggests it can damage memory, too.

Australian researchers found that even a short term diet of junk food can have a detrimental effect on the brain’s cognitive ability.

The study suggests that obesity can trigger rapid changes in the brain.

Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) showed for the first time that rats fed a diet high in fat and sugar had impaired memory after just a week.

Interestingly, the results were similarly poor for the rats fed a healthy diet that had been given sugar water to drink, according to the study, which was published in the journal Brain, Behaviour and Immunity.

The animals found it more difficult to recognise specific places after their junk food diet and showed a lesser ability to notice when an object shifted to a new location.

The mice also had inflammation of the hippocampal region of the brain, which is associated with spatial memory.

‘We know that obesity causes inflammation in the body, but we didn’t realise until recently that it also causes changes in the brain,’ said Professor Margaret Morris from UNSW Medicine, who co-authored the study.

‘What is so surprising about this research is the speed with which the deterioration of the cognition occurred,’ she said.

‘Our preliminary data also suggests that the damage is not reversed when the rats are switched back to a healthy diet, which is very concerning.’

Some aspects of the animals’ memories were spared, regardless of their diets. 

All the animals were equally able to
recognise objects after eating either the healthy, healthy with
sugar or ‘cafeteria’ diets, the latter of which was high in fat and
sugar, including cake, chips and biscuits.

The change in the animals’ memory appeared even before the mice eating junk food gained any weight.

The research builds on previous work that has implications for obesity. ‘Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory,¿ Professor Morris said

Ongoing work will attempt to establish how to stop the inflammation in the brain of animals with the unhealthy diets, which could unlock secrets relating to humans who eat unhealthily.

‘We suspect that these findings may be relevant to people,’ said  Professor Morris.

‘While nutrition affects the brain at every age, it is critical as we get older and may be important in preventing cognitive decline. An elderly person with poor diet may be more likely to have problems.’

The research builds on previous work that has implications for obesity.

‘Given that high energy foods can impair the function of the hippocampus, if you eat a lot of them it may contribute to weight gain, by interfering with your episodic memory,’ Professor Morris said.

‘People might be less aware of their internal cues like hunger pangs and knowing when they have had enough,’ she said.

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Comments (81)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

Student,

Leeds, United Kingdom,

2 hours ago

It’s a test by New World Order to decide who is worthy, more info by looking online for ‘dunnegan day transcript tape rense.com’.

Maggie,

Oxford,

19 hours ago

This is not the only research to show the impact of junk and sugary foods on the brain and the body. But it is the first to show the impact on memory is permanent. And we can see the effects on the brain in the DM comments.

Bampot19,

Ladeedaville, Canada,

19 hours ago

The picture of the guy in the kiddie pool – lol, really?

Skylor,

USA,

20 hours ago

So what, theres lots of stuff I could careless if I forgot about, in fact it be for the best, lol

Suzannah,

London, United Kingdom,

21 hours ago

This is why I can’t remember and I do it again.

LaValliere,

baltimore, United States,

22 hours ago

So fat people ARE dumb…..Don’t let THAT get out while they’re having all these anti “fat shaming” promotions on.

Acero,

Bournemouth, United Kingdom,

23 hours ago

I are luvin donuts now though.

lilkadi2000,

Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom,

23 hours ago

Erm now I know I am angry about something but I don’t remember why I am angry …well anyway ooooh Krispy Kreme who put that there?

Big Nige,

Up North, United Kingdom,

23 hours ago

What a complete load of utter nonsense. I am a portly gentleman and I have never eaten ‘junk’ food. I have always been bigger than average. And I am also diabetic, but I eat quite a healthy diet. No-one can generalise like this it is unscientific. We are all very different. One size does not fit all!!!!

stephen ottridge,

Vancouver, Canada,

20 hours ago

What is nonsense is your comment. You say you don’t eat junk food but I expect you eat so called healthy whole grains. I used to think I ate a healthy diet until I got diabetes. over a year ago. I have stopped eating any wheat, especially the “healthy whole grains”. My weight has dropped 42 lbs and of course I am no longer portly but much more importantly my diabetes has gone.

monsster,

royton, United Kingdom,

15 hours ago

Obviously you don’t eat healthy man, just because you dont go to McDonald’s every day does not make u helthy. I know a lot of fat people who say this, but if you really follow what they are eating they actually forget or ignore the fact they keep munching on butter milk biscuits and sweet tea.

Im,

Cambridge, United Kingdom,

23 hours ago

Some of these Aussie researchers would have a problem finding can of Fosters.

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