COSMOS MAGAZINE
Researchers have found that diets high in saturated fat and sugar can impair memory and thinking, even before noticeable weight gain.
It’s established that too much saturated fat and refined sugar causes obesity, heart disease and some cancers, but thinking ability also declines and brain disorders increase in people on high-fat, high-sugar diets, says Dr Dominic Tran of the University of Sydney.
These foods cause neuroinflammation, especially in the hippocampus, a key brain region for memory.
Memories: human brain with highlighted temporal lobe, computer illustration. This lobe is involved in processing auditory information and encoding of memory.
They also reduce brain-building chemicals called neurotrophic factors, which are vital for learning.
Junk food can also lead to insulin resistance in the brain, further weakening cognitive function.
Human studies confirm that people with high-fat, high-sugar diets perform worse in memory tasks.