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Attention, college students cramming between midterms and finals:Binging on soda and sweets for as little as six weeks may make youstupid. A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily highin fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning - andhow omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. Thepeer-reviewed Journal of Physiology has published the findings. "Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,"said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor ofintegrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Lettersand Science. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term altersyour brain's ability to learn and remember information. But addingomega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage." While earlier research has revealed how fructose harms the bodythrough its role in diabetes , obesity and fatty liver, this study is the first to uncover how thesweetener influences the brain. The UCLA team zeroed in on high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensiveliquid six times sweeter than cane sugar, that is commonly added toprocessed foods, including soft drinks, condiments, applesauce andbaby food. The average American consumes more than 40 pounds ofhigh-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture. "We're not talking about naturally occurring fructose in fruits,which also contain important antioxidants," explainedGomez-Pinilla, who is also a member of UCLA's Brain ResearchInstitute and Brain Injury Research Center. "We're concerned abouthigh-fructose corn syrup that is added to manufactured foodproducts as a sweetener and preservative." Gomez-Pinilla and study co-author Rahul Agrawal, a UCLA visitingpostdoctoral fellow from India, studied two groups of rats thateach consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for six weeks.The second group also received omega-3 fatty acids in the form offlaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which protects againstdamage to the synapses - the chemical connections between braincells that enable memory and learning. "DHA is essential for synaptic function - brain cells' ability totransmit signals to one another," Gomez-Pinilla said. "This is themechanism that makes learning and memory possible. Our bodies can'tproduce enough DHA, so it must be supplemented through our diet." The animals were fed standard rat chow and trained on a maze twicedaily for five days before starting the experimental diet. The UCLAteam tested how well the rats were able to navigate the maze, whichcontained numerous holes but only one exit. The scientists placedvisual landmarks in the maze to help the rats learn and rememberthe way. Six weeks later, the researchers tested the rats' ability to recallthe route and escape the maze. What they saw surprised them. "The second group of rats navigated the maze much faster than therats that did not receive omega-3 fatty acids," Gomez-Pinilla said."The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed adecline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had troublesignaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearlyand recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier." The DHA-deprived rats also developed signs of resistance toinsulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates synapticfunction in the brain. A closer look at the rats' brain tissuesuggested that insulin had lost much of its power to influence thebrain cells. "Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormonemay signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning andcause memory loss," Gomez-Pinilla said. He suspects that fructose is the culprit behind the DHA-deficientrats' brain dysfunction. Eating too much fructose could blockinsulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar for theenergy required for processing thoughts and emotions. "Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, butit may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears todisturb memory and learning," he said. "Our study shows that ahigh-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This issomething new." Gomez-Pinilla, a native of Chile and an exercise enthusiast whopractices what he preaches, advises people to keep fructose intaketo a minimum and swap sugary desserts for fresh berries and Greekyogurt, which he keeps within arm's reach in a small refrigeratorin his office. An occasional bar of dark chocolate that hasn't beenprocessed with a lot of extra sweetener is fine too, he said. Still planning to throw caution to the wind and indulge in ahot-fudge sundae? Then also eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids,like salmon, walnuts and flaxseeds, or take a daily DHA capsule.Gomez-Pinilla recommends one gram of DHA per day. "Our findings suggest that consuming DHA regularly protects thebrain against fructose's harmful effects," said Gomez-Pinilla."It's like saving money in the bank. You want to build a reservefor your brain to tap when it requires extra fuel to fight offfuture diseases." Additional References Citations. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Cavitation Slimming Machine , China Diode Hair Removal Laser for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Lipo Laser Machines.
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