Can Processed Foods Impact Our Memory?
Today’s blog post unpacks a recent article which we found from Dr. Robert Lustig on Twitter, in which a research study concluded some interesting findings between processed foods and memory. Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a four-week study on aging rats, looking at the brain inflammation caused when placed on a diet composed of highly processed foods. Not surprisingly, a significant increase in inflammation in the brain was shown among aging rats who were placed on a highly-processed diet. It is important to note that researchers compromised the diet to include 63.3% of the aging rats' calories to come from refined carbs. Refined carbs have already been linked to increased risk of high blood pressure, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
The effect on memory among the aging rats was the main variable studied in this research. Aging rats showed an increased difficulty in performing behavioral tasks throughout the progression of the 4 weeks. Not only this but also the rats exemplified abnormalities in the amygdala of the brain. This part of the brain is vital to our emotions. The amygdala controls fear and anger but is also key in memory, reward processes, and decision making. Among both the aging group and young group of rats, both showed a significant increase in weight gain.
Researchers hope to take these findings and apply them to humans, such as the effect of highly-processed foods on our memory, emotional processing, and decision making. Furthermore, this research could tell us more about the effect of processed foods on diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s Disease which impacts memory and causes the brain to shrink in size. The bottom line: Processed foods have a negative impact on the vital processes to maintain health!
Written By: Elizabeth Hoffman; Ellen Byron & Associates
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