All parents has heard of the harmful effects drugs and alcohol may have on the brain development of children. According to studies, parents everywhere should start thinking that eating junk food is as awful as beer cans.
Researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that rats, if given a high-fat and sugar diet during youth, developed memory damage that lasted well into adulthood. Data results demonstrate that an unhealthy food-filled diet, like the rats ate, can damage a teen’s memory function.
Statistics of junk food leading to memory lost
“Our additional recent research, indicates the rats in question developed off this junk food diet. They develop such problems with memory that aren’t going away,” Scott Kanoski, a professor of biological sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, in a press release. “If we are able to place children on a nutritious diet, these effects regrettably last well into adulthood.”
Professor Kanoski and postdoctoral researcher, Anna Hayes, considered previous studies that found a link among poor nutrition and Alzheimer’s. Additionally, Alzheimer’s patients have reduced levels of the chemical acetylcholine within their brains. That neurotransmitter is required for remembering and numerous other functions: Learning, excitement, and spontaneous muscular action.
Scientists worry what that means for adolescents whose on the sugary diet since their brains are still developing during adolescence. Scientists effectively learned about the vital connection among diet and memory, the effect of a particular diet on the rats’ acetylcholine levels and subjecting the rats to memory tests.
Test study of diets and what may lead to memory lost
The researchers measured acetylcholine levels in rats eating a fatty, sugary diet in comparison to those eating a control diet. Then, they examined their cognitive reactions to trials designed to assess their memory. The scientists next examined the rats’ brains in autopsy, for signs of altered acetylcholine levels.
The memory test employed in the research allowed the rats to examine various locations. Hours later, scientists returned the rats to a virtually identical scenario. Rats on an unhealthy diet exhibited evidence they were unable to recall what items they had earlier seen.
“Acetylcholine signaling acts as a method that assists rats recall what happened. Similar to the ‘episodic memory’ that humans have which enables us to remember experiences,” stated Anna Hayes. “That message seems to have stopped occurring in the creatures that grown up eating the fatty, sugary diet.”
Junk food impacts other organs of the body as well as lead to memory lost
- Heart: Most junk foods include substantial quantities of saturated and trans fats. Therefore, it can raise blood cholesterol levels. This causes the accumulation of fats within the arteries, that can restrict or obstruct blood flow. Eventually, this raises the likelihood of heart disease, particularly coronary artery disease and heart attacks.
- Liver: The liver handles the majority of the body fat that we eat. Several diets that contain unhealthy fats can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Which is an disorder in which fat develops in liver cells.
- Pancreas: Eating junk food can be excessively sugary, containing high-fructose corn syrup along with other refined sweets, that can trigger blood sugar to rise. To handle this, the pancreas secretes insulin which reduces the body’s glucose levels.
- Kidneys: The kidneys remove junk from the bloodstream. They also maintain hydration and nutrient balance in the body. The amount of sodium in processed foods may overload the kidneys by raising cholesterol levels; possibly leading to renal disease. Furthermore, high-sugar diets may raise the chance of getting kidney stones.
- Digestive System: A faulty diet can eventually lead to additional serious gastrointestinal problems. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when acid from the stomach travels back through the tube linking the mouth and stomach. Furthermore, it can cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), leading to frequent symptoms of digestion such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation.
Reversing lost brain damage that may lead From eating junk
The researchers also discovered that drugs successfully restored memory function among the treated rats. However, this discovery raises an important concern. If lacking particular pharmaceutical therapy, will the memory loss caused by a junk food diet throughout adolescence may be difficult to restore.
Additional study is needed to fully comprehend the long-term effects of this diet and potential therapeutic options. This research demonstrates how strongly eating decisions can affect our brains.
Obviously, eating your preferred meals in proportion is also acceptable. However, persistently choosing processed, fatty, or highly sugary foods, particularly could have more serious implications than you realize.
By Desmond Jackson
Sources:
Earth : Junk food diet triggers lasting changes in the brain
Study Finds : Eating junk food during childhood may lead to long-term, irreversible memory issues
Technology Networks : Junk Food Causes Long-Term Memory Damage to Adolescent Rats
Featured Image Courtesy of Jackie Popp Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Image Courtesy of Jackie Popp Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Image Courtesy of Focal Foto Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
