Habitual intake of fat and sugar is associated with poorer memory and greater impulsivity in humans
Martin R. Yeomans,
Rhiannon Armitage,
Rebecca Atkinson
et al.
Abstract:The vicious cycle model of obesity suggests that repeated habitual intake of a diet high in fat and sugar (HFS) results in impairment in hippocampal function which in turn increases impulsive behaviours, making it harder to resist unhealthy diet choices. Evidence from studies with rodents consistently show switching to a HFS diet impairs performance on hippocampally-sensitive memory tasks. The limited literature in humans also suggest impaired memory and increased impulsivity related to higher habitual HFS int… Show more
“…tive impairment in older individuals [15]. Recent reports in mice fed long-term diets high in fat and sugar show similar findings of cognitive decline [16][17][18].…”
The ability to respond to physical stress that disrupts normal physiological homeostasis at an older age embraces the concept of resilience to aging. A physical stressor could be used to induce physiological responses that are age-related, since resilience declines with increasing age. Increased fat and sugar intake is a nutritional stress with a high prevalence of obesity in older people. In order to determine the effect of this type of diet on resilience to aging, 18-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were fed a diet high in saturated fat (lard) and sucrose (HFS) for ten months. At the end of the 10-month study, mice fed the HFS diet showed increased cognitive impairment, decreased cardiac function, decreased strength and agility, and increased severity of renal pathology compared to mice fed a rodent chow diet low in saturated fat and sucrose (LFS). The degree of response aligned with decreased resilience to the long-term adverse effects of the diet with characteristics of accelerated aging. This observation suggests additional studies could be conducted to investigate the relationship between an accelerated decline in resilience to aging and enhanced resilience to aging under different dietary conditions.
“…tive impairment in older individuals [15]. Recent reports in mice fed long-term diets high in fat and sugar show similar findings of cognitive decline [16][17][18].…”
The ability to respond to physical stress that disrupts normal physiological homeostasis at an older age embraces the concept of resilience to aging. A physical stressor could be used to induce physiological responses that are age-related, since resilience declines with increasing age. Increased fat and sugar intake is a nutritional stress with a high prevalence of obesity in older people. In order to determine the effect of this type of diet on resilience to aging, 18-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were fed a diet high in saturated fat (lard) and sucrose (HFS) for ten months. At the end of the 10-month study, mice fed the HFS diet showed increased cognitive impairment, decreased cardiac function, decreased strength and agility, and increased severity of renal pathology compared to mice fed a rodent chow diet low in saturated fat and sucrose (LFS). The degree of response aligned with decreased resilience to the long-term adverse effects of the diet with characteristics of accelerated aging. This observation suggests additional studies could be conducted to investigate the relationship between an accelerated decline in resilience to aging and enhanced resilience to aging under different dietary conditions.
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