Too Much Sugar Consumption is Harmful for Your Brain
There are already many warning concerning sweet food and drinks. Previously it was known that soft drinks affect children’s heart. Almost everyone loves sweet foods. But people should know that sweet food is actually harmful for their brain. A study showed that consuming foods rich in sugar for 6 weeks can make people stupid. Fortunately, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can counteract this effect.
The researchers focused on high-fructose corn syrup, which is 6 times sweeter than sugar cane. Corn syrup is often added to processed foods such as soft drinks, spices, applesauce and baby food. Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a simple monosaccharide found in many plants, like in in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries and most root vegetables. All forms of fructose, including fruits and juices, are commonly added to foods and drinks for palatability, taste enhancement and improved browning of some foods, such as baked goods.
“Foods rich in fructose in the long run will change the brain’s ability to learn and remember information, but with added omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, it can help minimize the damage,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla from the University of California, Los Angele, according to Live Science.
The research was published in the Journal of Physiology. The study was conducted in rats, but researchers believe that rat brain chemistry is similar to humans that can be generalized to humans.
Before starting the experiment, rats in the experiment were taught to find a way out of a maze using a specific marker for the given path. The researchers then separated the rats into two groups. One group were given fructose and and the other were given fructose and omega-3 fatty acids. After 6 weeks, the researchers tested the memory of rats in remembering the route of a maze.
“The rats who received omega-3 got out of the maze faster. Brains of rats that were not given omega-3 showed a decrease in synaptic activity of brain cells that interfere with signaling between brain cells, thereby interfering with the ability to think clearly and remembering the route which was learned six weeks before , “said Gomez-Pinilla.
Insulin resistance because fructose consumption may have changed the way cells store and use sugar into energy needed to process thoughts and emotions.
Sugar is the only fuel known how it is used by brain cells. If the brain cells can not use insulin properly, then how it works would be affected.
“Insulin is important in the body to control blood sugar, but may have different roles in the brain. Insulin appears to interfere with memory and learning. Our study suggests that fructose-rich foods damage the brain and body,” said Gomez-Pinilla.
This study also suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may help protect the brain from this damage. But researchers are not sure how this protective effect occurs at the molecular level in the brain.
To counteract the effects of sugar, the researchers recommend consuming 1 gram of omega-3 every day.
Previously it was also known that soda drinks may trigger stroke. It is also known from a research that two glasses of sweet drinks makes the heart vulnerable to attacks. So it is important to avoid these types of beverages for the sake of your health.
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