This study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, ran a battery of cognitive tests on lab rats on either a high-calorie or low-calorie diet.
The guinea pigs that have become obese following an excessively fatty diet performed worse than their normal-weight peers on these cognitive tests, according to the study authors.
The more they ate high fat foodsthe more the blood-brain barrier (between blood circulation and the central nervous system) weakened, and reduced blood supply to the hippocampus, the area of the brain that manages learning and memory.
“It seems to me that a vicious circle between obesity and cognitive slowing is taking place,” explains Terry Davidson, in charge of the study. And to add, “the high-calorie diet leads to overconsumption of food because this inhibitory system is gradually hindered. And unfortunately this inhibitory system also serves to remember and to get rid of parasitic thoughts”.
As the hippocampus also handles the suppression of memories, the results of this study also suggest that a very fatty and sugary diet can impair the brain’s ability to erase unwanted thoughts, such as cravings. high-calorie foods, and thus lead to a vicious circle of overconsumption.
Read also:
Watch the video Nutrition and health: fats
Your browser cannot display the video
Find the video “Nutrition and health: fats” on Minuteeasy.com
