Beware Of Eating Habits That Can Make The Brain Lemot At A Young Age

Illustration of habits that make the brain slow at a young age (Freepic)

JAKARTA - A high diet of fat and sugar does not only have an impact on weight or heart health, but can also interfere with brain function, even from a young age. Recent research from the University of Sydney found that the habit of eating high in fat and sugar was related to a decrease in brain function.

Reporting from The University of Sydney page, the study published in the International Journal of Obesity is the first to test how consumption of high- sugar and saturated fat foods can affect a person's ability to remember routes and recognize locations.

"A change in diet can increase the hippocampus, and thereby improve our ability to navigate the environment, such as when we explore a new city or learn new routes back home," said Dr Dominic Tran, lead researcher from Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

In the study, 55 students aged 18 to 38 were asked to complete a series of tests, including exploring virtual realitylatticlattices to find the location of the treasure chest.

The results show that participants consume high-fat and sugar foods more often, considering the location with high accuracy than those who undergo a healthier diet.

The interesting thing is that Dr Tran insists this condition is not something permanent.

"The good news is, we think this is an easy situation to turn around," he said.

With a healthier diet change, the hippocampus, which is part of the brain that plays an important role in memory formation and navigation, can be improved again.

In addition, Dr Tran added that the bad effects of this diet can be seen, even after taking into account other factors such as working memory and body mass index (BMI).

"After controlling the working memory factor and the body mass index (BMI), which were measured separately from experiments, participant sugar intake and fat proved to be reliable predictors of their performance in the seventh test," he explained.

This discovery reinforces evidence of an unhealthy diet contributing to the decline in cognitive function. Not only in the elderly, but also in the younger adults, when the brain should still be in optimal condition.

"This study provides evidence that a healthy diet is important for brain health at the beginning of adulthood, a period where cognitive functions are usually still intact," said Dr Tran.

Although this research sample consists of students who may be healthier than the general population, researchers believe poor eating habits can worsen brain function.

"Most likely, our participants are slightly healthier than the general population. We think, if the sample represents the community more, the impact of a high diet of fat and sugar on brain function will likely be even more pronounced." concluded Dr Tran.