High fat diets cause changes in the brain associated with obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.
Two new studies show how high fat diets can damage your brain – and make it harder for you to keep a New Year’s resolution to lose weight.
Researchers in Oregon found that elderly people with high levels of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Junk food diets produced just the opposite result.
The research was done by scientists from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore., and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. It was published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study found positive effects from high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and healthy oils commonly found in fish. Consistently worse cognitive performance was associated with a high intake of trans-fats found in fried food, frozen food, margarine and baked goods. People with diets high in trans-fats were more likely to have brain shrinkage and lower scores on thinking and memory tests.
“These findings are based on average people eating average American diets,” said Maret Traber, a co-author of the study and a principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute “If anyone right now is considering a New Year’s resolution to improve their diet, this would certainly give them another reason to eat more fruits and vegetables. I’m a firm believer these nutrients have strong potential to protect your brain and make it work better.”
The small study was done with 104 elderly people, with an average age of 87. It tested 30 different nutrient biomarkers in their blood. About half the participants had MRI scans to measure their brain volume.
“These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet,” said study co-author Gene Bowman of the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, who is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Washington found that obesity in rodents and humans causes structural changes in the brain, making it harder for them to lose weight permanently through diet and exercise.
The study, reported online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, looked at what high-fat diets did to the brains of mice and rats. They found that the rodents quickly developed inflammation in the hypothalamus, a small part of the brain that regulates appetite and body weight. Using brain scans, the researchers found similar inflammation in the same area of the brains of obese humans:
“That was quite a shock,” said senior author Dr. Michael W. Schwartz, professor of medicine at the University of Washington’s Diabetes and Obesity Center. “This might reflect fundamental biological changes in how the brain works that help explain why it’s so hard to keep weight off.”
It doesn’t take much to trigger those changes. Researchers reported seeing changes in the brain after just one day on a fatty diet.
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These studies are taken from processed trans and poorly handled saturated fats.
Saturated fats are extremely important to consume for cell and bodily health/function. This article is misleading.
Foods to avoid: processed refined carbohydrates and pre-packaged foods. You’d be better off reducing carbs and increasing healthy fats (fish oils, butters, animal fats).