Are burgers making you stupid?

High-fat diets harm the section of the brain needed for learning

WE all love to indulge from time-to-time, but that double-cheeseburger with extra bacon might be taking its toll on more than your waistline.

 

A study, from a team at Georgia Regents University, discovered that a fatty food habit could be damaging your brain.

The research suggested that a high-fat diet destroys synapses (the structure that allows a nerve cell to pass a signal to another nerve cell) in the part of the brain that deals with learning, emotion and memory.

 

Too much fat in the body can lead to chronic inflammation

The study gave one group a diet where 10 percent of calories came from saturated fat, while the other diet contained 60 percent saturated fat.

At four and eight weeks, synaptic markers were the same for both groups, although the group on the higher fat diet had gained weight. 

By 12 weeks, the group eating a high-fat diet had become obese and displayed reduced levels of synaptic markers. There were also indications that synapses were being destroyed.

 

Obesity means microglia cells have an autoimmune response

According to the research team, when there is too much fat in the body, it can lead to chronic inflammation, triggering an autoimmune response from the microglia cells that usually get rid of harmful agents in the brain.

“When obesity occurs, these cells stop moving,” explained the study’s lead Dr. Stranahan. “When they stop moving, they basically just sit there and start eating synapses.”

 

But don’t fret. If you’re prone to the occasional binge, or are gearing up for an indulgent Christmas, the damage CAN be reversed. 

Researchers switched half of the obese group back on to a low-fat diet. Weight returned to normal after two months, although a ‘fat pad’ remained - a layer of fat that simplifies future weight gain.

More importantly, switching to a low-fat diet for two months counteracted the brain-damaging effects of a high-fat diet and synaptic function was restored.

  

You can reverse the effects by having a low-fat diet