Is your memory a little foggy? Perhaps that doughnut or piece of pie is to blame.
A diet that is high in fat and sugar — like many Americans tend to eat — may impair cognitive function, including memory, according to the findings of a recent study.
Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia found that diets rich in refined sugar and saturated fat had a negative impact on first-person spatial navigation — the ability of the brain to both learn and then remember the pathway from one place to another.
A person’s performance in a spatial navigation task can be an indicator of the health of the brain’s hippocampus. This region of the brain is important for the formation of memories.
In a summary of the study’s findings, research leader Dominic Tran says:
“The good news is we think this is an easily reversible situation. Dietary changes can improve the health of the hippocampus, and therefore our ability to navigate our environment, such as when we’re exploring a new city or learning a new route home.”
In the study, researchers asked 55 university students between the ages of 18 and 38 to report their intake of sugary and fatty foods. Participants also had their memory examined during a number-recall exercise. Finally, each student’s body mass index (a measure of body fat) was recorded.
Participants also navigated a virtual reality maze in an attempt to find a treasure chest a half-dozen times. The maze included landmarks intended to help participants remember their route.
A later trial removed the treasure chest from the virtual maze and asked the participants to mark its former location based on memory.
Tran noted that “participants’ sugar and fat intake was a reliable predictor of performance in that final, seventh, test.”
Compared to those who consumed high-fat, high-sugar foods several times a week, participants who reported lower levels of dietary fat and sugar were able to find the location with a higher degree of accuracy.
Diets high in refined sugar and saturated fat are associated with a variety of health issues, ranging from obesity to cancer. They also have been linked to cognitive decline in older adults.
Tran says his study findings suggest that “diet is important for brain health in early adulthood, a period when cognitive function is usually intact.”
Learn more about how you can keep your brain in great shape in “13 Proven Ways to Sharpen Your Memory at Any Age.”
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