A study in rats shows that a diet high in fat and sugar during childhood can lastingly affect brain development and adult behavior.
- A study on rats showed that those fed a high-calorie diet, full of fats and sugars, showed increased impulsivity compared to other rats during different tests.
- In contrast, in game scenarios, they were cautious, opting for safer but smaller rewards, unlike other rats, who were more inclined to take risks.
- They also showed changes in the prefrontal cortex, a key region that influences personality and behavioral control. Their mesolimbic pathway, which regulates the reward system and pleasure-seeking behaviors, was notably disrupted.
What happens when we eat very fatty and sugary foods from a young age? A new study, published in the journal ACS Chemical Neurosciencesuggests that unhealthy diets during childhood and adolescence can have deleterious effects on psychological and behavioral development in adulthood.
Fat diet: more impulsivity and less risk-taking
To achieve this observation, the researchers carried out experiments on 40 young rats. Half of them were given a high-calorie diet based on cheesecake (“cheesecake rats”), while the other half were fed a balanced diet (“chow rats”), specifies a press release. As adults, the rodents participated in several tests, including games, designed to assess their self-control and decision-making.
As a result, behavioral analyzes revealed significant differences between the two groups. THE “cheesecake rats” responded prematurely to visual cues, showing increased impulsivity compared to other rats. In contrast, in game scenarios, they were cautious, opting for safer but smaller rewards, unlike “chow rats”more inclined to take risks.
A disruption of the reward and pleasure system
Additional tests also revealed genetic and metabolic disparities between the groups. THE “cheesecake rats” showed changes in the prefrontal cortex, a key region of the brain that influences personality and behavioral control. Their mesolimbic pathway, known to regulate the reward system and pleasure-seeking behaviors, was notably disrupted. Finally, changes in intestinal fatty acids were linked to neurological and behavioral consequences.
These findings suggest that a high-fat diet during adolescence could disrupt brain development, with long-term impacts on impulsivity and decision-making. While awaiting additional studies which will allow us to better understand the mechanisms at play, researchers therefore invite children to adopt, from an early age, a balanced diet to preserve their future cognitive and behavioral abilities.
