May 16, 2012 <\/p>\n
Dentists have long warned that too much sugar can rot a persons teeth, but scientists at UCLA have discovered evidence that too much soda and candy could also rot a persons brain. <\/p>\n
The study, which was published Tuesday in the Journal of Physiology, discovered how a diet that is steadily high in fructose can slow down the function of the brain, impairing memory and learning ability, the Los Angeles-based university said in a May 15 press release. Those adverse effects, they say, can emerge in as little as six weeks time, but can be counteracted to some degree by adding omega-3 fatty acids to ones diet. <\/p>\n
Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, one of the authors of the study and a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA said in a statement. Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brains ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage. <\/p>\n
Were not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants, Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science as well as a member of UCLAs Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center, added. Were concerned about high-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative. <\/p>\n
Gomez-Pinilla and co-author Rahul Agrawal, a visiting postdoctoral fellow, studied two groups of rats that were given a solution that contained high-fructose corn syrup as drinking water for a six-week period, according to AFP reports. One of the groups was also given flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both omega-3 fatty acids, while the other was not. <\/p>\n
Prior to the start of the experiment, both groups of rats completed a five-day training session on how to navigate a complex maze. Following six weeks of the corn syrup treatment, they were re-entered into the maze, and the researchers observed their performance. Gomez-Pinilla told AFP that the rodents that did not receive DHA and flaxseed oil were slower and demonstrated a decline in synaptic activity. <\/p>\n
They also showed signs of insulin-resistance, according to the UCLA press release. <\/p>\n
Because insulin can penetrate the bloodbrain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss, Gomez-Pinilla said. Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning. Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new. <\/p>\n
Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects the brain against fructoses harmful effects, he added. Its like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reserve for your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight off future diseases. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See more here: May 16, 2012 Dentists have long warned that too much sugar can rot a persons teeth, but scientists at UCLA have discovered evidence that too much soda and candy could also rot a persons brain. The study, which was published Tuesday in the Journal of Physiology, discovered how a diet that is steadily high in fructose can slow down the function of the brain, impairing memory and learning ability, the Los Angeles-based university said in a May 15 press release Continue reading
\nCan Too Much Sugar Make You Stupid?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"